17,576 Shares in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Purchased by Proficio Capital Partners LLC

Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 17,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $682,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in CENT. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 693.6% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 23.2% during the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 2,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 29.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,016 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the third quarter valued at about $258,000. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the third quarter valued at about $272,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus lowered Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $48.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $46.75.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total value of $328,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 8.19% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of CENT opened at $37.06 on Monday. Central Garden & Pet has a 12-month low of $32.17 and a 12-month high of $47.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.36 and a beta of 0.73. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $36.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $37.36. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. As a group, research analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

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.