Victory Capital Management Inc. Has $96.97 Million Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Victory Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,933,995 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,427 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 4.47% of Central Garden & Pet worth $96,969,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 668.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 930 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 809 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 43.8% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,402 shares of the company's stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter valued at about $102,000. Quantbot Technologies LP raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 253.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 3,891 shares of the company's stock valued at $122,000 after buying an additional 2,791 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 32.0% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 6,154 shares of the company's stock valued at $193,000 after buying an additional 1,492 shares during the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Remove Ads

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total value of $328,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 20.28% of the company's stock.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of CENTA stock traded down $0.15 on Monday, hitting $32.52. 383,484 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 291,457. The company has a 50 day moving average of $31.77 and a 200 day moving average of $32.07. The stock has a market cap of $2.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.87 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 3.47 and a quick ratio of 1.97. Central Garden & Pet has a 12 month low of $27.70 and a 12 month high of $41.03.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last posted 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $41.00.

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.