Proficio Capital Partners LLC Acquires New Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 49,542 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,637,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC owned about 0.08% of Central Garden & Pet at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 161.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 122,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,849,000 after purchasing an additional 75,718 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,175,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,304,000 after purchasing an additional 68,689 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 832,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,515,000 after buying an additional 59,489 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 691,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,700,000 after acquiring an additional 59,368 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter valued at $1,573,000. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In related news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CENTA has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Argus cut Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.00.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of CENTA opened at $32.36 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $31.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $31.98. The company has a market cap of $2.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.78 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Central Garden & Pet has a twelve month low of $27.70 and a twelve month high of $41.03.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. As a group, analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current year.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Co engages in the production and distribution of branded and private label products for the lawn, garden, and pet supplies markets. It operates through the Pet and Garden segments. The Pet segment focuses on dog and cat supplies such as dog treats and chews, toys, pet beds and containment, grooming products, waste management and training pads, supplies for aquatics, small animals, reptiles and pet birds including toys, cages and habitats, bedding, food and supplements, products for equine and livestock, animal and household health and insect control products, live fish and small animals as well as outdoor cushions.