Champlain Investment Partners LLC Trims Stock Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Champlain Investment Partners LLC trimmed its stake in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 31.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,524,869 shares of the company's stock after selling 715,653 shares during the quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC owned about 2.32% of Central Garden & Pet worth $50,397,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 161.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 122,530 shares of the company's stock worth $3,849,000 after buying an additional 75,718 shares in the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter worth about $1,573,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 268,331 shares of the company's stock worth $8,868,000 after purchasing an additional 8,889 shares in the last quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 89.8% during the fourth quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC now owns 685,847 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,667,000 after purchasing an additional 324,493 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter worth about $473,000. 50.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

CENTA traded down $0.16 on Wednesday, reaching $30.80. 65,263 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 308,651. The company's 50-day moving average price is $31.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a PE ratio of 16.92 and a beta of 0.75. Central Garden & Pet has a fifty-two week low of $27.70 and a fifty-two week high of $41.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 3.47 and a quick ratio of 1.97.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CENTA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Argus downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $41.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other 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 value of $328,600.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.