Jane Street Group LLC Sells 56,232 Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Jane Street Group LLC decreased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 68.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,521 shares of the company's stock after selling 56,232 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC's holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $877,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 668.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 930 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 809 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter worth about $102,000. KBC Group NV raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 50.1% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,606 shares of the company's stock worth $119,000 after purchasing an additional 1,204 shares in the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 5,458 shares of the company's stock worth $180,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,538 shares of the company's stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CENTA. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $35.00 price objective (down previously from $40.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given 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 a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $33.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of CENTA stock traded down $0.14 on Thursday, hitting $31.90. 5,881 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 318,392. The company has a current ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.52 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a 50-day moving average of $31.30 and a 200 day moving average of $32.08. Central Garden & Pet has a fifty-two week low of $27.70 and a fifty-two week high of $38.78.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $833.54 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $876.36 million. 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 Activity at Central Garden & Pet

In related news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.39, for a total transaction of $1,943,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 1,070,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,669,122.35. This represents a 5.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 20.28% of the company's stock.

About Central Garden & Pet

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.