Venturi Wealth Management LLC Makes New $102,000 Investment in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 3,093 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in CENTA. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 72.6% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 823 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 43.8% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 732 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 253.7% in the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 3,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $122,000 after buying an additional 2,791 shares during the period. Point72 DIFC Ltd raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 32.0% during the third quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 6,154 shares of the company’s stock worth $193,000 after acquiring an additional 1,492 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the third quarter worth approximately $194,000. 50.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $32.05 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.61 and a beta of 0.76. Central Garden & Pet has a 52-week low of $27.70 and a 52-week high of $41.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 3.47. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $32.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $32.21.

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

Insider Activity at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. This trade represents a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 20.28% of the stock is owned by 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.