Central Garden & Pet Company $CENTA Stock Holdings Boosted by Cullen Frost Bankers Inc.

Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 152.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,215 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 733 shares during the quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc.’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $38,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 831,433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,016,000 after purchasing an additional 63,008 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 11.2% during the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 173,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,420,000 after acquiring an additional 17,508 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.5% in the second quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 89,986 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,816,000 after purchasing an additional 4,661 shares in the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 0.5% in the second quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 58,464 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,829,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 83.7% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 12,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $393,000 after purchasing an additional 5,716 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Director John Ranelli sold 3,076 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.58, for a total transaction of $100,216.08. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,427 shares in the company, valued at $46,491.66. This trade represents a 68.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider John D. Walker III sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.59, for a total value of $114,065.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 67,328 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,194,219.52. This trade represents 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 company insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CENTA opened at $29.01 on Monday. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 1 year low of $25.97 and a 1 year high of $37.35. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $30.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.73. 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 has a market cap of $1.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.19 and a beta of 0.63.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last posted its earnings results 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. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.77% and a net margin of 4.44%.The company had revenue of $960.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $993.66 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on CENTA. Zacks Research upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $35.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $38.33.

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.