Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Boosts Stock Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,100,751 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 38,077 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned about 3.12% of Central Garden & Pet worth $65,964,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 33.1% in the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 181,017 shares of the company's stock worth $6,739,000 after buying an additional 44,969 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 1,038.2% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 129,744 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,789,000 after acquiring an additional 118,345 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 30.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,636,319 shares of the company's stock valued at $208,093,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306,309 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 92.4% during the 1st quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 236,305 shares of the company's stock worth $8,724,000 after acquiring an additional 113,495 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss National Bank increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 32.3% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 106,937 shares of the company's stock worth $3,948,000 after acquiring an additional 26,137 shares during the period. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Brooks Pennington III sold 1,486 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.80, for a total value of $48,740.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 40,743 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,336,370.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Brooks Pennington III sold 1,486 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.80, for a total value of $48,740.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 40,743 shares in the company, valued at $1,336,370.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director John Ranelli sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.28, for a total transaction of $85,700.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 822 shares of the company's stock, valued at $28,178.16. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 63,986 shares of company stock worth $2,146,841 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 20.28% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on CENTA shares. Canaccord Genuity Group raised Central Garden & Pet to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $41.33.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ CENTA traded down $0.25 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $28.81. The stock had a trading volume of 206,086 shares, compared to its average volume of 280,485. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $27.70 and a 1 year high of $41.03. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $32.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $34.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 3.66. The firm has a market cap of $1.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.03 and a beta of 0.72.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 4.42% and a return on equity of 10.66%. The firm had revenue of $996.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.40 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Company produces and distributes various products for the lawn and garden, and pet supplies markets in the United States. It operates through two segments: Pet and Garden. The Pet segment provides 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, and food and supplements; products for equine and livestock; animal and household health and insect control products; aquariums and terrariums, including fixtures and stands, water conditioners and supplements, water pumps and filters, and lighting systems and accessories; and live fish and small animals, as well as outdoor cushions.