18,928 Shares in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Bought by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 18,928 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $594,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 503.2% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 754 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 629 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the second quarter worth about $37,000. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 3,558.1% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,134 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 1,103 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 61.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 519 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 2.1 %

NASDAQ CENTA opened at $30.05 on Tuesday. Central Garden & Pet has a 52-week low of $27.70 and a 52-week high of $41.03. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.48 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $32.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $34.26.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Director Brooks Pennington III sold 1,486 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were 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. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $37,758,426.42. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Brooks Pennington III sold 1,486 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.80, for a total transaction of $48,740.80. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 40,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,336,370.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 63,986 shares of company stock valued at $2,146,841. Corporate insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on CENTA. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $41.33.

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.