Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $8.87 Million Stake in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 268,331 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,889 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.41% of Central Garden & Pet worth $8,868,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 160,457 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,303,000 after buying an additional 678 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 43.8% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 732 shares during the last quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. now owns 77,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,545,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 32.0% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 6,154 shares of the company’s stock worth $193,000 after purchasing an additional 1,492 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 17,989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $565,000 after buying an additional 2,162 shares during the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Central Garden & Pet

In other 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 value 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 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 hyperlink. 20.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $31.48 on Friday. Central Garden & Pet has a 12 month low of $27.70 and a 12 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $31.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.30 and a beta of 0.76.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.