Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $118.56 Million Stock Holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP reduced its position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,587,335 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,528 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 5.47% of Central Garden & Pet worth $118,561,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 161.7% in the third 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. Denali Advisors LLC bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,573,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 268,331 shares of the company's stock worth $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 8,889 shares during the last quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $22,667,000 after acquiring an additional 324,493 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $473,000. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 20.28% of the company's stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

CENTA opened at $30.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 3.47. Central Garden & Pet has a 52-week low of $27.70 and a 52-week high of $41.03. The firm has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63 and a beta of 0.75. The business's fifty day moving average is $31.62 and its 200-day moving average is $31.89.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last released its 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CENTA has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Argus cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of 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 investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently 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.

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