Teacher Retirement System of Texas Has $657,000 Stock Holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) by 54.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,937 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,979 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $657,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 29,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,127,000 after buying an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 23.2% during the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 2,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.4% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 9,060 shares of the company’s stock valued at $330,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 29.0% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,016 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 693.6% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $35.94 on Monday. Central Garden & Pet has a 52 week low of $32.17 and a 52 week high of $47.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 3.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $36.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $37.04. The company has a market cap of $2.35 billion, a PE ratio of 19.75 and a beta of 0.73.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was 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 represents a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 8.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Argus lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.00.

Central Garden & Pet 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.