KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Has $324,000 Holdings in Central Garden & Pet Company $CENTA

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS decreased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,349 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,200 shares during the quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $324,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 53.1% during the first quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 4.6% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,652 shares of the company’s stock worth $447,000 after purchasing an additional 604 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 2.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 30,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $996,000 after purchasing an additional 743 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 5.0% during the second quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 29,403 shares of the company’s stock worth $919,000 after purchasing an additional 1,406 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 1.7% during the first quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 92,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,023,000 after purchasing an additional 1,527 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on CENTA shares. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 20th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John Ranelli sold 3,076 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.58, for a total value of $100,216.08. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,491.66. This represents a 68.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider John D. Walker III sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 20.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

NASDAQ CENTA opened at $27.66 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 3.56, a quick ratio of 2.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $31.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.82. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 1 year low of $25.97 and a 1 year high of $37.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.57 and a beta of 0.63.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $960.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $993.66 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 4.44% and a return on equity of 10.77%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet Company 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.