New York State Teachers Retirement System Cuts Stock Holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

New York State Teachers Retirement System decreased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 11.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 90,303 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,724 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.14% of Central Garden & Pet worth $2,985,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 33.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 76,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,399,000 after buying an additional 19,306 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 161.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 122,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,849,000 after buying an additional 75,718 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 773,023 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,273,000 after buying an additional 41,241 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 255,113 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,431,000 after buying an additional 12,413 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,012,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 0.1 %

NASDAQ:CENTA opened at $32.05 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.10 billion, a PE ratio of 17.61 and a beta of 0.76. Central Garden & Pet has a twelve month low of $27.70 and a twelve month high of $41.03. The company has a current ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The company’s 50 day moving average is $32.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $32.22.

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 the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 3.77% and a return on equity of 10.08%. Analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CENTA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Argus downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $41.00.

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.