Point72 DIFC Ltd Invests $154,000 in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 4,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $154,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CENTA. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 33.1% in the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 181,017 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,739,000 after acquiring an additional 44,969 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1,038.2% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 129,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,789,000 after buying an additional 118,345 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter worth approximately $11,786,000. Congress Asset Management Co. MA increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 22.7% during the first quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 183,737 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,784,000 after acquiring an additional 33,983 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 30.2% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,636,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $208,093,000 after buying an additional 1,306,309 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CENTA opened at $30.88 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $33.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.78. Central Garden & Pet has a twelve month low of $27.88 and a twelve month high of $41.03. The company has a current ratio of 3.66, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a market capitalization of $2.08 billion, a PE ratio of 13.85 and a beta of 0.73.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $996.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 4.42%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.40 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CENTA. Canaccord Genuity Group raised shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 1st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $38.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $42.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Director Brooks Pennington III sold 1,486 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Central Garden & Pet 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 transaction, the director now owns 40,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,336,370.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director John Ranelli sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.28, for a total transaction of $85,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 822 shares in the company, valued at $28,178.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 63,986 shares of company stock worth $2,146,841 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

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.