Proficio Capital Partners LLC Makes New $1.64 Million Investment in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 49,542 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,637,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CENTA. Keybank National Association OH boosted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 17,640 shares of the company’s stock worth $583,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 160,457 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,303,000 after purchasing an additional 678 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 43.8% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 668.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 930 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 809 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Olstein Capital Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. now owns 77,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,545,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on CENTA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Argus lowered Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 67,111 shares of the company’s stock, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 20.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

CENTA stock opened at $32.36 on Thursday. 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 1.97, a current ratio of 3.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market cap of $2.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.78 and a beta of 0.70. The business has a fifty day moving average of $31.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.98.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 3.77% and a return on equity of 10.08%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Central Garden & Pet Profile

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.