Gotham Asset Management LLC Has $551,000 Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Gotham Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 131.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,668 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,451 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC's holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $551,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 76.0% during the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 175,925 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,814,000 after acquiring an additional 75,986 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 197,652 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,532,000 after acquiring an additional 11,242 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 20.4% during the 4th quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 103,380 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,417,000 after acquiring an additional 17,517 shares in the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 49.9% in the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 110,866 shares of the company's stock worth $3,664,000 after purchasing an additional 36,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 572,833 shares of the company's stock worth $18,932,000 after purchasing an additional 54,694 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

CENTA stock traded down $0.37 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $31.51. 327,101 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 320,104. 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 has a 52 week low of $27.70 and a 52 week high of $39.97. The business has a 50-day moving average of $31.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a PE ratio of 17.31 and a beta of 0.68.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $833.54 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $876.36 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.42, for a total transaction of $1,296,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 1,030,365 shares in the company, valued at $33,404,433.30. This represents a 3.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 20.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on CENTA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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 report on Friday, April 11th. Truist Financial reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $35.00 price objective (down from $40.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.