Royce & Associates LP Reduces Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Royce & Associates LP trimmed its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 33.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,242 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,137 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $74,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Swiss National Bank grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 107,637 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,557,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 190.7% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 26,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $809,000 after purchasing an additional 17,323 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter worth about $473,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter worth about $1,637,000. Finally, Keybank National Association OH grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 2.7% in 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. 50.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the insider now owns 67,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Argus downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

CENTA opened at $30.46 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $31.83 and its 200-day moving average is $31.96. The stock has a market cap of $2.00 billion, a PE ratio of 16.74 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Central Garden & Pet has a twelve month low of $27.70 and a twelve month high of $41.03.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, analysts predict 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.