Central Garden & Pet Company $CENTA Stock Holdings Increased by Public Sector Pension Investment Board

Key Points

• The Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet Company by 49.5%, owning 193,672 shares valued at approximately $6.34 million at the end of the previous quarter.
• Central Garden & Pet reported an EPS of $1.56 for the last quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate of $1.34, although its revenue fell short of expectations at $960.91 million.
• A number of analysts have given Central Garden & Pet a consensus rating of "Hold," with price targets varying from $35.00 to $50.00, indicating mixed confidence in the stock's near-term performance.

Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its position in Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 49.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 193,672 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 64,113 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board owned approximately 0.30% of Central Garden & Pet worth $6,339,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 21.1% in the 1st quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,164,376 shares of the company's stock worth $38,110,000 after acquiring an additional 202,761 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 879,769 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,795,000 after buying an additional 47,257 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 572,833 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,932,000 after buying an additional 54,694 shares in the last quarter. Logan Stone Capital LLC grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 56.1% in the 4th quarter. Logan Stone Capital LLC now owns 399,815 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,214,000 after buying an additional 143,668 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 197,652 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,532,000 after buying an additional 11,242 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company's stock.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CENTA traded up $0.39 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $32.21. 252,554 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 394,223. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 52 week low of $27.70 and a 52 week high of $37.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 2.28 and a current ratio of 3.56. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $33.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $32.22. The company has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.64 and a beta of 0.67.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $960.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $993.66 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 4.44% and a return on equity of 10.77%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 7,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.04, for a total transaction of $249,912.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 377,383 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,091,351.32. This represents a 2.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 20.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CENTA shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Truist Financial reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $35.00 target price (down previously from $40.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $38.67.

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.