Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Cuts Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,540 shares of the company’s stock after selling 310 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $254,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CENT. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the third quarter valued at about $272,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,681,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 3rd quarter worth $797,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 11.6% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 112,305 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,096,000 after acquiring an additional 11,671 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 9,060 shares of the company’s stock worth $330,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 8.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Argus cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.75.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of CENT stock opened at $34.98 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $2.29 billion, a PE ratio of 19.22 and a beta of 0.79. Central Garden & Pet has a 52-week low of $32.17 and a 52-week high of $47.48. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.41. 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 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS 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.