Congress Asset Management Co. Grows Holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 9.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 195,847 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,033 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. owned about 0.30% of Central Garden & Pet worth $6,473,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,942,422 shares of the company's stock valued at $92,392,000 after purchasing an additional 36,251 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,175,277 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,304,000 after acquiring an additional 68,689 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,100,751 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,964,000 after acquiring an additional 38,077 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 773,023 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,273,000 after acquiring an additional 41,241 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 691,092 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,700,000 after acquiring an additional 59,368 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of CENTA traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $32.05. 272,827 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 256,295. 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. The business has a 50-day moving average of $32.27 and a 200-day moving average of $32.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.61 and a beta of 0.76.

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

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.