Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Shares Acquired by Ameriprise Financial Inc.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 6.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 197,652 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 11,242 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.30% of Central Garden & Pet worth $6,532,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC grew 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 during the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter valued at $1,573,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 8,889 shares during the last quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 324,493 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter valued at $473,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company's stock.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $31.88 on Friday. Central Garden & Pet has a fifty-two week low of $27.70 and a fifty-two week high of $39.97. The firm has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a PE ratio of 17.52 and a beta of 0.68. The business's fifty day moving average is $31.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $32.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 3.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $833.54 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $876.36 million. Analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on CENTA. Truist Financial reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $35.00 target price (down previously from $40.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $33.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.39, for a total value of $1,943,400.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 1,070,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,669,122.35. This trade represents a 5.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 20.28% of the company's stock.

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.

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