Central Garden & Pet Company $CENTA Shares Sold by Deutsche Bank AG

Deutsche Bank AG lowered its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 6.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 60,956 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,868 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG owned about 0.09% of Central Garden & Pet worth $1,995,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CENTA. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 36,362 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,202,000 after acquiring an additional 7,264 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,538 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,000 after acquiring an additional 734 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter worth about $473,000. Barclays PLC raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 124,773 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,123,000 after acquiring an additional 2,243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 69.2% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 76,524 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,529,000 after acquiring an additional 31,302 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CENTA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $35.00 price target (down from $40.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $38.67.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CENTA opened at $32.21 on Friday. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 12 month low of $27.70 and a 12 month high of $37.35. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $33.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $32.22. The company has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a PE ratio of 14.64 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 3.56 and a quick ratio of 2.28.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.22. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 4.44% and a return on equity of 10.77%. The firm had revenue of $960.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $993.66 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Central Garden & Pet

In related news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 7,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.04, for a total value of $249,912.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 377,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,091,351.32. The trade was a 2.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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.