Prudential Financial Inc. Reduces Holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Prudential Financial Inc. lowered its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 53,365 shares of the company’s stock after selling 520 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $1,764,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,979,003 shares of the company’s stock valued at $197,606,000 after purchasing an additional 306,449 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter valued at about $382,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 49,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,622,000 after buying an additional 410 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 14.1% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,373,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,381,000 after buying an additional 170,121 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 94.6% during the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 44,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,462,000 after buying an additional 21,500 shares during the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Central Garden & Pet

In related news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the firm’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 trade represents a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CENTA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com raised Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Argus downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $41.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of CENTA stock opened at $31.46 on Friday. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $32.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.89. The company has a market cap of $2.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.29 and a beta of 0.70. Central Garden & Pet has a 12-month low of $27.70 and a 12-month high of $41.03.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current year.

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.