XTX Topco Ltd Takes $455,000 Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 13,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $455,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CENTA. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 5,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $180,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 49,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,622,000 after buying an additional 410 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 17,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $583,000 after buying an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 160,457 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,303,000 after buying an additional 678 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 107,637 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,557,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CENTA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Argus downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. 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, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 20.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 1.6 %

NASDAQ CENTA opened at $30.31 on Tuesday. Central Garden & Pet has a 52 week low of $27.70 and a 52 week high of $41.03. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $31.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.99 billion, a PE ratio of 16.65 and a beta of 0.75. 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:CENTA) last posted 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.