97,241 Shares in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Bought by Natixis

Natixis bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 97,241 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,590,000. Natixis owned 0.14% of Central Garden & Pet at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in CENTA. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 30.2% in the first 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. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,740,909 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,711,000 after purchasing an additional 23,601 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 24.8% during the first quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,303,369 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,040,000 after purchasing an additional 457,699 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 29.9% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,087,178 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,059,000 after purchasing an additional 480,805 shares during the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 24.9% in the first quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,090,060 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,245,000 after buying an additional 217,006 shares during the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 1.8 %

NASDAQ CENTA opened at $34.10 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a PE ratio of 15.05 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 3.33 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The business’s 50-day moving average is $34.84 and its 200 day moving average is $35.40. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $27.88 and a 1 year high of $41.03.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $900.09 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $895.68 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 4.49% and a return on equity of 11.30%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on CENTA. Argus raised Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 1st. StockNews.com downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $40.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider John D. Walker III sold 4,218 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.31, for a total value of $170,027.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 85,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,428,889.53. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Central Garden & Pet news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 700,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.25, for a total transaction of $25,375,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 1,189,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,123,543.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider John D. Walker III sold 4,218 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.31, for a total transaction of $170,027.58. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 85,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,428,889.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 714,218 shares of company stock valued at $25,945,528 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Profile

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.