Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Grows Stock Holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Free Report) by 2.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 796,917 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 22,703 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 1.21% of Central Garden & Pet worth $30,920,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 35,763 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,388,000 after buying an additional 819 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 87,095 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,379,000 after acquiring an additional 11,532 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 22.8% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 8,002 shares of the company's stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 1,488 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 69.2% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 59,603 shares of the company's stock worth $2,313,000 after purchasing an additional 24,375 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $396,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.13% of the company's stock.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 1.0 %

CENT stock traded up $0.35 during trading on Friday, reaching $34.94. 178,589 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 145,510. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $35.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $36.88. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $31.97 and a 1 year high of $47.48. The company has a current ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.20 and a beta of 0.73.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $833.54 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $876.36 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were 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 owns 67,111 shares of the company's stock, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 8.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Truist Financial downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $35.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.33.

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.