Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Shares Sold by James Investment Research Inc.

James Investment Research Inc. cut its position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 41.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,760 shares of the company's stock after selling 12,542 shares during the period. James Investment Research Inc.'s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $587,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1.2% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,942,422 shares of the company's stock worth $92,392,000 after acquiring an additional 36,251 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 3.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,175,277 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,304,000 after purchasing an additional 68,689 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 1.8% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,100,751 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,964,000 after purchasing an additional 38,077 shares during the last quarter. 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 valued at $24,273,000 after purchasing an additional 41,241 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 9.4% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 691,092 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,700,000 after purchasing an additional 59,368 shares during the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CENTA has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Argus downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of 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. Two equities 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $41.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CENTA traded down $0.14 during trading on Thursday, reaching $32.20. The stock had a trading volume of 6,271 shares, compared to its average volume of 249,926. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $27.70 and a one year high of $41.03. The company has a market capitalization of $2.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.64 and a beta of 0.76. 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 firm's 50-day simple moving average is $32.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.23.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the company's 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 directly owns 67,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 20.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Company 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.