New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 1,500 Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT)

New York State Teachers Retirement System cut its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) by 45.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,818 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,500 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $71,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 693.6% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 23.2% in the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 2,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 395 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 29.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,521 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,016 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the 3rd quarter worth $258,000. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the third quarter valued at approximately $272,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $48.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Argus downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $46.75.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of CENT opened at $37.51 on Tuesday. 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 has a 52-week low of $32.17 and a 52-week high of $47.48. The company has a market cap of $2.46 billion, a PE ratio of 20.61 and a beta of 0.79. The business has a fifty day moving average of $37.83 and a 200 day moving average of $37.57.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the 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 owns 67,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 8.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.