Farringdon Capital Ltd. Buys Shares of 12,576 Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Farringdon Capital Ltd. purchased a new position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 12,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $416,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Highbridge Capital Management LLC raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 89.8% in the fourth quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC now owns 685,847 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,667,000 after acquiring an additional 324,493 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,979,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $197,606,000 after purchasing an additional 306,449 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter worth approximately $8,245,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 14.1% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,373,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,381,000 after purchasing an additional 170,121 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,538,000. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ CENTA opened at $30.79 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $31.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.81. The stock has a market cap of $2.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.92 and a beta of 0.75. Central Garden & Pet has a twelve month low of $27.70 and a twelve month high of $41.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 3.47.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 20.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Argus lowered Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Two investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.00.

Central Garden & Pet Company 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.