Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Shares Purchased by Amundi

Amundi grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 190.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,407 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 17,323 shares during the quarter. Amundi's holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $809,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. KBC Group NV lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 43.8% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,402 shares of the company's stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 732 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 13.7% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 17,989 shares of the company's stock worth $565,000 after buying an additional 2,162 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 1,240.8% during the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 14,977 shares of the company's stock worth $470,000 after buying an additional 13,860 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 120.3% during the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 22,721 shares of the company's stock worth $713,000 after buying an additional 12,407 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 5.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 773,023 shares of the company's stock worth $24,273,000 after buying an additional 41,241 shares during the period. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 6.0 %

NASDAQ:CENTA traded down $1.96 on Friday, hitting $30.46. 1,705,084 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 281,544. The stock has a market cap of $2.00 billion, a PE ratio of 16.74 and a beta of 0.70. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $31.83 and a 200-day moving average of $31.94. Central Garden & Pet has a fifty-two week low of $27.70 and a fifty-two week high of $41.03.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, topping 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, equities analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total value of $328,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. This trade represents a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 20.28% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Argus lowered Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Two 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $41.00.

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.