Teacher Retirement System of Texas Buys 5,979 Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) by 54.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,937 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,979 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $657,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CENT. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 11.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 112,305 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,096,000 after acquiring an additional 11,671 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 5.4% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 9,060 shares of the company’s stock valued at $330,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 23.2% in the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 2,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1.7% during the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 148,910 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,431,000 after purchasing an additional 2,450 shares in the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the third quarter worth about $258,000. Institutional investors own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CENT opened at $35.94 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $2.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.75 and a beta of 0.73. Central Garden & Pet has a 12-month low of $32.17 and a 12-month high of $47.48. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 3.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Argus lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.00.

Insider Transactions at Central Garden & Pet

In related news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 67,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,205,267.46. This trade represents a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 8.19% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Profile

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.