Headlands Technologies LLC Takes Position in Central Garden & Pet Company $CENTA

Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 15,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $586,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. LSV Asset Management raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 53.4% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,123,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,984,000 after purchasing an additional 738,860 shares in the last quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter worth approximately $13,749,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 181.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 549,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,222,000 after buying an additional 354,016 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 168.5% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 292,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,529,000 after buying an additional 183,363 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1,109.1% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 196,777 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,811,000 after buying an additional 180,503 shares during the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 5,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.50, for a total value of $192,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 64,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,490,141.50. The trade was a 7.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 20.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

NASDAQ CENTA opened at $36.64 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $35.56. The company has a quick ratio of 2.67, a current ratio of 3.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 12-month low of $25.97 and a 12-month high of $40.79. The firm has a market cap of $2.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.67 and a beta of 0.59.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.03. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.13% and a net margin of 5.39%.The firm had revenue of $882.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.98 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Zacks Research downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.67.

Central Garden & Pet Profile

Central Garden & Pet Co is a leading producer, marketer and distributor of branded consumable gardening products and pet supplies in North America. Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, the company serves both retail and wholesale customers through a network of distribution centers across the United States and Canada. Operating under the ticker symbol CENTA on the NASDAQ exchange, Central Garden & Pet has been publicly traded since 2003.

The company’s Garden segment offers a broad portfolio of lawn and garden care solutions, including fertilizers, weed and pest control products, soil and mulch, and plant care accessories.