American Century Companies Inc. Grows Stake in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 14.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,373,100 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 170,121 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 2.09% of Central Garden & Pet worth $45,381,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 668.6% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 930 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 809 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter worth about $102,000. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 50.1% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,606 shares of the company’s stock worth $119,000 after purchasing an additional 1,204 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 253.7% during the third 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 period. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 32.0% during the third 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.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. This trade represents a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on CENTA. Argus cut Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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. 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 issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.00.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 1.3 %

CENTA opened at $31.92 on Friday. Central Garden & Pet has a 52 week low of $27.70 and a 52 week high of $41.03. The company has a market capitalization of $2.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.54 and a beta of 0.70. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $31.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 3.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. Analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current 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.