Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $30.92 Million Holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Free Report) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 796,917 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 22,703 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 1.21% of Central Garden & Pet worth $30,920,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 138,273 shares of the company's stock worth $5,365,000 after buying an additional 25,968 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter worth approximately $682,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 73.8% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 35,228 shares of the company's stock worth $1,285,000 after purchasing an additional 14,964 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 12.7% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 200,091 shares of the company's stock worth $7,764,000 after purchasing an additional 22,556 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 193.8% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,201 shares of the company's stock worth $151,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares in the last quarter. 16.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was 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 directly owns 67,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 8.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

CENT stock traded up $0.35 on Friday, reaching $34.94. 178,589 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 145,413. Central Garden & Pet has a 12 month low of $31.97 and a 12 month high of $47.48. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $35.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion, a PE ratio of 19.20 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 3.47 and a quick ratio of 1.97.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Truist Financial lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $35.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th.

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.