Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Buys 2,550 Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) by 201.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,818 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,550 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $148,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 693.6% during 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 during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter valued at $58,000. Amundi increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 193.8% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,201 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,000 after buying an additional 2,771 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 22.8% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 8,002 shares of the company’s stock worth $310,000 after buying an additional 1,488 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp bought a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter worth $396,000. Institutional investors own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CENT. Truist Financial lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $35.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Argus downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $43.33.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

NASDAQ:CENT opened at $34.55 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $35.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $36.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 3.47 and a quick ratio of 1.97. The company has a market cap of $2.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.98 and a beta of 0.73. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $32.16 and a one year high of $47.48.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. Equities analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 8.19% of the company’s stock.

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.