Invesco Ltd. Reduces Position in Central Garden & Pet Company $CENT

Invesco Ltd. reduced its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) by 3.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 84,352 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,743 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned about 0.13% of Central Garden & Pet worth $3,092,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 13.7% in the first quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 2,820 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 35,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,388,000 after buying an additional 819 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Simplex Trading LLC grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 136.2% in the 1st quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 2,048 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 1,181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 14,742 shares of the company’s stock worth $572,000 after acquiring an additional 1,340 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $36.43 on Friday. Central Garden & Pet Company has a fifty-two week low of $31.97 and a fifty-two week high of $43.88. The company has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion, a PE ratio of 16.56 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $37.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $36.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 2.28 and a current ratio of 3.56.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $960.91 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $993.66 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.77% and a net margin of 4.44%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.19 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Director John Ranelli sold 3,076 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.58, for a total transaction of $100,216.08. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,491.66. This trade represents a 68.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider John D. Walker III sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.59, for a total transaction of $114,065.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 67,328 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,194,219.52. This represents a 4.94% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 8.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.