Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Shares Acquired by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Free Report) by 69.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 59,603 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 24,375 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 0.09% of Central Garden & Pet worth $2,313,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 29,052 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,127,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 37,809 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,467,000 after purchasing an additional 632 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 29.0% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,521 shares of the company's stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 1,016 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 693.6% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,246 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 1,089 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter worth $58,000. Institutional investors own 16.13% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 8.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ CENT traded down $0.55 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $34.35. 55,471 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 143,366. Central Garden & Pet has a 12 month low of $32.17 and a 12 month high of $47.48. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $35.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $36.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 3.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The company has a market cap of $2.25 billion, a PE ratio of 18.87 and a beta of 0.80.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Argus downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $45.00.

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.