Armistice Capital LLC Boosts Holdings in Central Garden & Pet Company $CENTA

Armistice Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 28.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,025,085 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 229,324 shares during the period. Armistice Capital LLC owned about 1.56% of Central Garden & Pet worth $33,551,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased 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 buying an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the first quarter worth about $224,000. Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the first quarter worth about $236,000. Numerai GP LLC purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter worth about $237,000. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the first quarter worth about $255,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.82% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on CENTA shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $38.67.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on CENTA

Insider Activity at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 3,500 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John Ranelli sold 3,076 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.58, for a total transaction of $100,216.08. Following the sale, the director owned 1,427 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,491.66. The trade was a 68.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 20.28% of the company's stock.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

CENTA stock opened at $33.03 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $33.56 and a 200-day moving average of $32.21. The company has a current ratio of 3.56, a quick ratio of 2.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 12 month low of $27.70 and a 12 month high of $37.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.01 and a beta of 0.67.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.22. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 4.44% and a return on equity of 10.77%. The company had revenue of $960.91 million during 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.

About Central Garden & Pet

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.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CENTA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report).

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