Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Trims Stake in Central Garden & Pet Company $CENTA

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. decreased its position in Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 2.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,140,937 shares of the company’s stock after selling 23,439 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. owned approximately 1.74% of Central Garden & Pet worth $35,700,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 152.1% in the 2nd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 733 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 53.1% during the 1st quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the first quarter worth $236,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the 1st quarter worth $255,000. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 14.6% in the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,895 shares of the company’s stock worth $247,000 after buying an additional 1,008 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on CENTA shares. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $35.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.33.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $28.59 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.80 billion, a PE ratio of 13.00 and a beta of 0.63. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $29.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 3.56 and a quick ratio of 2.28. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 1 year low of $25.97 and a 1 year high of $37.35.

Insider Transactions at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.59, for a total value of $114,065.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 67,328 shares in the company, valued at $2,194,219.52. The trade was a 4.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director John Ranelli sold 3,076 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.58, for a total value of $100,216.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,491.66. This trade represents a 68.31% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

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.