Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Decreases Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans trimmed its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 40,199 shares of the company’s stock after selling 641 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned approximately 0.06% of Central Garden & Pet worth $1,329,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 773,023 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,273,000 after purchasing an additional 41,241 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 33.4% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 20,667 shares of the company’s stock worth $649,000 after purchasing an additional 5,178 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 9.4% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 691,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,700,000 after buying an additional 59,368 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 33.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 76,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,399,000 after buying an additional 19,306 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 253.7% in 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 during the period. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 0.6 %

CENTA opened at $32.12 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $31.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.89. 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 has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a PE ratio of 17.65 and a beta of 0.70. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $27.70 and a one year high of $41.03.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect 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.