Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Reduces Holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT)

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lowered its stake in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) by 18.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,729 shares of the company’s stock after selling 400 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $74,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CENT. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 3rd quarter worth about $496,000. Orchard Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Orchard Capital Management LLC now owns 169,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,474,000 after purchasing an additional 8,914 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 22.6% in the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 43,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,925,000 after purchasing an additional 8,042 shares during the last quarter. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter worth about $291,000. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter worth about $241,000. Institutional investors own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 4,218 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.31, for a total value of $170,027.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 85,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,428,889.53. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 4,218 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.31, for a total value of $170,027.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 85,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,428,889.53. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman William E. Brown sold 700,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.25, for a total transaction of $25,375,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 1,189,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,123,543.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 744,218 shares of company stock valued at $27,144,928 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 9.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CENT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Tuesday, March 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $52.00 target price for the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 9th. Argus raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. TheStreet raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Tuesday, March 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $52.00 price target for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.50.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 1.0 %

Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $38.80 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $42.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $39.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.43 and a beta of 0.76. Central Garden & Pet has a 52-week low of $29.53 and a 52-week high of $47.48.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $900.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $888.74 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 4.49% and a return on equity of 11.30%. Central Garden & Pet’s revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.72 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Central Garden & Pet Profile

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.