American Century Companies Inc. Buys 170,121 Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 14.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,373,100 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 170,121 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 2.09% of Central Garden & Pet worth $45,381,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 161.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 122,530 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,849,000 after purchasing an additional 75,718 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 3.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,175,277 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,304,000 after buying an additional 68,689 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 832,512 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,515,000 after buying an additional 59,489 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 9.4% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 691,092 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,700,000 after buying an additional 59,368 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,637,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Argus downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $41.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

CENTA stock traded down $0.32 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $32.41. 235,521 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 297,630. Central Garden & Pet has a 12 month low of $27.70 and a 12 month high of $41.03. The company has a current ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.81 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.89.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 3.77% and a return on equity of 10.08%. On average, analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 20.28% of the company's stock.

Central Garden & Pet 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.