Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Shares Bought by Highbridge Capital Management LLC

Highbridge Capital Management LLC increased its position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 89.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 685,847 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 324,493 shares during the period. Highbridge Capital Management LLC owned approximately 1.05% of Central Garden & Pet worth $22,667,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of CENTA. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 17,989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $565,000 after acquiring an additional 2,162 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 120.3% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 22,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $713,000 after purchasing an additional 12,407 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 773,023 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,273,000 after buying an additional 41,241 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 33.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 20,667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $649,000 after buying an additional 5,178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the third quarter worth $1,012,000. 50.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the transaction, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CENTA has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Argus downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $41.00.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of CENTA stock opened at $31.92 on Friday. Central Garden & Pet has a 1-year low of $27.70 and a 1-year high of $41.03. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $31.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $31.90. The firm has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.54 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 3.47 and a quick ratio of 1.97.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 3.77% and a return on equity of 10.08%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current year.

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.