William Blair Investment Management LLC Grows Holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 805,564 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,530 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned approximately 1.23% of Central Garden & Pet worth $26,624,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Swiss National Bank boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 107,637 shares of the company's stock worth $3,557,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Amundi boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 190.7% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 26,407 shares of the company's stock worth $809,000 after buying an additional 17,323 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter worth about $473,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter worth about $1,637,000. Finally, Keybank National Association OH boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 17,640 shares of the company's stock worth $583,000 after buying an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on CENTA shares. Argus lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $41.00.

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Insider Activity

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 20.28% of the company's stock.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 6.0 %

NASDAQ:CENTA traded down $1.96 on Friday, reaching $30.46. The stock had a trading volume of 1,705,084 shares, compared to its average volume of 281,023. The company has a market cap of $2.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.74 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. The firm's fifty day moving average is $31.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.96. 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 released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.