Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Shares Acquired by Highbridge Capital Management LLC

Highbridge Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 89.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 685,847 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 324,493 shares during the period. Highbridge Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $22,667,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 13.7% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 17,989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $565,000 after buying an additional 2,162 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 120.3% in the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 22,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $713,000 after acquiring an additional 12,407 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 773,023 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,273,000 after acquiring an additional 41,241 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 33.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 20,667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $649,000 after acquiring an additional 5,178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,012,000. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on CENTA. Argus downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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 note on Thursday, January 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

CENTA stock opened at $31.92 on Friday. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $27.70 and a 1 year high of $41.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.54 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 3.47. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $31.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.90.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 3.77% and a return on equity of 10.08%. On average, research analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 owns 67,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

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.