American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Free Report) by 12.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 200,091 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 22,556 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.31% of Central Garden & Pet worth $7,764,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 23.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 138,273 shares of the company's stock worth $5,365,000 after purchasing an additional 25,968 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 73.8% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 35,228 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,285,000 after buying an additional 14,964 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter worth about $682,000. Amundi boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 193.8% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,201 shares of the company's stock worth $151,000 after acquiring an additional 2,771 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 51.4% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 34,944 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 11,865 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.13% of the company's stock.
Insider Transactions at Central Garden & Pet
In related news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 8.19% of the company's stock.
Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance
CENT traded down $0.87 on Tuesday, reaching $34.22. The company had a trading volume of 206,044 shares, compared to its average volume of 140,492. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 3.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $32.17 and a 1 year high of $47.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.24 billion, a PE ratio of 18.80 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $36.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $36.91.
Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Separately, Argus cut Central Garden & Pet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $45.00.
View Our Latest Report on Central Garden & Pet
About Central Garden & Pet
(
Free Report)
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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