Renaissance Technologies LLC Has $19.37 Million Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Renaissance Technologies LLC reduced its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 586,375 shares of the company’s stock after selling 79,752 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 0.87% of Central Garden & Pet worth $19,368,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 0.5% during the first quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 50,868 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,878,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,693 shares of the company’s stock valued at $427,000 after acquiring an additional 341 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 16.5% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 2.5% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 15,269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $504,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 37.4% during the first quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 1,650 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 449 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on CENTA shares. Canaccord Genuity Group raised shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 1st. Argus raised shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $38.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.00.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $32.83 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $33.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $35.00. The company has a current ratio of 3.66, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Central Garden & Pet has a 1-year low of $27.88 and a 1-year high of $41.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.72 and a beta of 0.73.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 4.42% and a return on equity of 10.66%. The business had revenue of $996.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.40 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Central Garden & Pet

In related news, Director John Ranelli sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.28, for a total transaction of $85,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,178.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Central Garden & Pet news, Director Brooks Pennington III sold 1,486 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.80, for a total value of $48,740.80. Following the sale, the director now owns 40,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,336,370.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director John Ranelli sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.28, for a total transaction of $85,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,178.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 63,986 shares of company stock worth $2,146,841 in the last ninety days. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Company produces and distributes various products for the lawn and garden, and pet supplies markets in the United States. It operates through two segments: Pet and Garden. The Pet segment provides 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, and food and supplements; products for equine and livestock; animal and household health and insect control products; aquariums and terrariums, including fixtures and stands, water conditioners and supplements, water pumps and filters, and lighting systems and accessories; and live fish and small animals, as well as outdoor cushions.