William Blair Investment Management LLC Boosts Stake in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 805,564 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,530 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned 1.23% of Central Garden & Pet worth $26,624,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of CENTA. Barclays PLC increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 161.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 122,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,849,000 after acquiring an additional 75,718 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 3.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,175,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,304,000 after purchasing an additional 68,689 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 832,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,515,000 after purchasing an additional 59,489 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 9.4% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 691,092 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,700,000 after purchasing an additional 59,368 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,637,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Central Garden & Pet

In related news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was 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 directly owns 67,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on CENTA shares. Argus lowered Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

NASDAQ CENTA opened at $31.77 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.46 and a beta of 0.70. 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $31.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $31.98. Central Garden & Pet has a twelve month low of $27.70 and a twelve month high of $41.03.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Central Garden & Pet Profile

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.