PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Has $378,000 Stock Holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. decreased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 11.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 11,452 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,431 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $378,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CENTA. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 809 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 43.8% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $102,000. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 253.7% during the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 3,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 2,791 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 32.0% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 6,154 shares of the company’s stock valued at $193,000 after purchasing an additional 1,492 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Argus lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $41.00.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

CENTA opened at $32.42 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $31.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.98. The company has a market capitalization of $2.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.81 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 3.47 and a quick ratio of 1.97. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $27.70 and a 1 year high of $41.03.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total value of $328,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,205,267.46. This trade represents a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 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.