D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Has $5.81 Million Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 76.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 175,925 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 75,986 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned about 0.27% of Central Garden & Pet worth $5,814,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CENTA. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 161.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 122,530 shares of the company's stock worth $3,849,000 after purchasing an additional 75,718 shares during the period. Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter valued at $1,573,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 268,331 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 8,889 shares during the last quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 89.8% during the 4th quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC now owns 685,847 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,667,000 after acquiring an additional 324,493 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter valued at about $473,000. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company's stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ CENTA traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $32.47. The company had a trading volume of 281,398 shares, compared to its average volume of 317,700. 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 12-month low of $27.70 and a 12-month high of $40.39. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $31.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.06. The company has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.84 and a beta of 0.68.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CENTA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. StockNews.com lowered Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Truist Financial restated a "hold" rating and issued a $35.00 target price (down previously from $40.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $33.00.

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.