GSA Capital Partners LLP Sells 3,164 Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT)

GSA Capital Partners LLP lessened its holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) by 7.4% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 39,793 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,164 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $1,704,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Orchard Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Orchard Capital Management LLC now owns 169,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,474,000 after purchasing an additional 8,914 shares during the last quarter. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter valued at $291,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter valued at $241,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 53,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,272,000 after acquiring an additional 3,397 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 112.4% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $264,000 after acquiring an additional 3,265 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on CENT. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $52.00 to $49.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 1st. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 1st. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.75.

Insider Activity at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, CAO Howard Machek sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.05, for a total value of $400,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 51,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,061,533.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 700,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.25, for a total transaction of $25,375,000.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 1,189,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,123,543.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Howard Machek sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.05, for a total value of $400,500.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 51,474 shares in the company, valued at $2,061,533.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 744,218 shares of company stock worth $27,144,928. 9.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of CENT stock traded up $0.16 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $36.80. 17,136 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 113,684. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Central Garden & Pet has a 12-month low of $30.67 and a 12-month high of $47.48. The company has a market capitalization of $2.48 billion, a PE ratio of 16.46 and a beta of 0.78. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $41.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $40.58.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $900.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $888.74 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.30% and a net margin of 4.49%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.72 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current year.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Company produces and distributes various products for the lawn and garden, and pet supplies markets in the United States. It operates through two segments: Pet and Garden. The Pet segment provides 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, and food and supplements; products for equine and livestock; animal and household health and insect control products; aquariums and terrariums, including fixtures and stands, water conditioners and supplements, water pumps and filters, and lighting systems and accessories; and live fish and small animals, as well as outdoor cushions.