CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co Sells 15,727 Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co reduced its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 19.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 66,862 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,727 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned about 0.10% of Central Garden & Pet worth $2,206,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 809 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter valued at $102,000. KBC Group NV boosted 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 in the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 5,458 shares of the company's stock worth $180,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,538 shares of the company's stock valued at $216,000 after buying an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $35.00 price objective (down previously from $40.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Argus cut Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $36.00.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 1.9 %

NASDAQ:CENTA traded up $0.57 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $30.36. The company had a trading volume of 56,629 shares, compared to its average volume of 311,193. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 3.47. Central Garden & Pet has a fifty-two week low of $27.70 and a fifty-two week high of $41.03. The firm has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.65 and a beta of 0.75. The business's fifty day moving average is $31.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.89.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last announced 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 20.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Company 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.