Bokf Na Makes New $246,000 Investment in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Bokf Na acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 7,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $246,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 3,558.1% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,103 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the second quarter worth about $37,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 61.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 519 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 37.4% in the 1st quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 1,650 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 449 shares during the period. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 216.7% during the 2nd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of CENTA stock opened at $32.64 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $33.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $35.06. Central Garden & Pet has a 1-year low of $27.88 and a 1-year high of $41.03. The company has a market cap of $2.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.64 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 3.66 and a quick ratio of 2.16.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $996.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 4.42% and a return on equity of 10.66%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.40 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 1st. StockNews.com cut Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 1st. Argus upgraded Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $38.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In related news, Director Brooks Pennington III sold 1,486 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.80, for a total value of $48,740.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 40,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,336,370.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director Brooks Pennington III sold 1,486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.80, for a total transaction of $48,740.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 40,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,336,370.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman William E. Brown sold 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.54, for a total transaction of $2,012,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 1,125,773 shares in the company, valued at $37,758,426.42. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 63,986 shares of company stock valued at $2,146,841 over the last quarter. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Company 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.