Nuveen LLC Acquires Shares of 28,206 Central Garden & Pet Company $CENT

Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 28,206 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,034,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new stake in Central Garden & Pet in the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Simplex Trading LLC grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 136.2% in the first 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. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 4,556.8% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $126,000 after acquiring an additional 3,372 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 201.1% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,818 shares of the company’s stock worth $148,000 after acquiring an additional 2,550 shares in the last quarter. 16.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

CENT stock opened at $36.43 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 3.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.56 and a beta of 0.69. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 12 month low of $31.97 and a 12 month high of $43.88. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $37.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $36.21.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In related news, insider John D. Walker III sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John Ranelli sold 3,076 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.58, for a total transaction of $100,216.08. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,491.66. This represents a 68.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 8.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.