Diversified Trust Co Buys 6,915 Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Diversified Trust Co grew its position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 54.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,670 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,915 shares during the quarter. Diversified Trust Co’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $726,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CENTA. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $331,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5,772.5% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 50,445 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,022,000 after acquiring an additional 49,586 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 200.5% during the third quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 8,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $333,000 after acquiring an additional 5,545 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 648,736 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,008,000 after purchasing an additional 32,425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp Et Al boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 1,092.6% in the 3rd quarter. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al now owns 71,666 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,873,000 after purchasing an additional 65,657 shares during the period. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CENTA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Argus upgraded Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $41.75.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of CENTA stock opened at $33.23 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $36.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.94. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $27.88 and a one year high of $41.03. The firm has a market cap of $2.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.93 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 3.33 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $900.09 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $895.68 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 4.49% and a return on equity of 11.30%. On average, analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider John D. Walker III sold 4,218 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.31, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Central Garden & Pet news, CAO Howard Machek sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.05, for a total value of $400,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 51,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,061,533.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider John D. Walker III sold 4,218 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.31, for a total transaction of $170,027.58. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 85,063 shares in the company, valued at $3,428,889.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 714,218 shares of company stock valued at $25,945,528. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.