242,700 Shares in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Bought by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 242,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,621,000. Empowered Funds LLC owned approximately 0.36% of Central Garden & Pet as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of CENTA. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 30.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,636,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $208,093,000 after buying an additional 1,306,309 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 24.8% in the 1st quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,303,369 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,040,000 after buying an additional 457,699 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 43.0% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 941,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,098,000 after buying an additional 283,045 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 85.8% in the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 439,066 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,502,000 after buying an additional 202,761 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,508,000. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CENTA. StockNews.com lowered Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $41.33.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of CENTA opened at $31.63 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $30.81 and a 200 day moving average of $33.47. Central Garden & Pet has a fifty-two week low of $27.70 and a fifty-two week high of $41.03. The firm has a market cap of $2.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.58 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 3.66.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Director John Ranelli sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.28, for a total value of $85,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 822 shares in the company, valued at $28,178.16. This trade represents a 75.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman William E. Brown sold 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.54, for a total value of $2,012,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 1,125,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,758,426.42. This represents a 5.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Company produces and distributes various products for the lawn and garden, and pet supplies markets in the United States. It operates through two segments: Pet and Garden. The Pet segment provides 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, and food and supplements; products for equine and livestock; animal and household health and insect control products; aquariums and terrariums, including fixtures and stands, water conditioners and supplements, water pumps and filters, and lighting systems and accessories; and live fish and small animals, as well as outdoor cushions.