Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Shares Acquired by Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 49.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 110,866 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 36,900 shares during the period. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC owned about 0.17% of Central Garden & Pet worth $3,664,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 161.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 122,530 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,849,000 after buying an additional 75,718 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 154,071 shares of the company's stock worth $5,113,000 after purchasing an additional 6,600 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 36.0% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 19,907 shares of the company's stock worth $658,000 after purchasing an additional 5,269 shares during the period. Olstein Capital Management L.P. raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. now owns 77,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,545,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 50.1% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,606 shares of the company's stock worth $119,000 after buying an additional 1,204 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on CENTA. Truist Financial reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $35.00 target price (down from $40.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of 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, StockNews.com raised Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $36.00.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CENTA traded up $0.36 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $30.66. The stock had a trading volume of 100,003 shares, compared to its average volume of 316,143. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $27.70 and a 1 year high of $41.03. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.90. The company has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a PE ratio of 16.85 and a beta of 0.68.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.10. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. The business had revenue of $833.54 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $876.36 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In related news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total value of $328,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at $2,205,267.46. This trade represents a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.