Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Shares Acquired by Westwood Holdings Group Inc.

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 961,615 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 14,144 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. owned approximately 1.47% of Central Garden & Pet worth $31,781,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,979,003 shares of the company's stock valued at $197,606,000 after purchasing an additional 306,449 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,373,100 shares of the company's stock worth $45,381,000 after buying an additional 170,121 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 832,512 shares of the company's stock worth $27,515,000 after buying an additional 59,489 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 805,564 shares of the company's stock worth $26,624,000 after buying an additional 17,530 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highbridge Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 89.8% in the 4th quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC now owns 685,847 shares of the company's stock worth $22,667,000 after buying an additional 324,493 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.82% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on CENTA shares. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded 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 issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $33.00.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of CENTA stock traded down $0.37 on Friday, hitting $31.51. The stock had a trading volume of 327,101 shares, compared to its average volume of 320,104. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 3.47 and a quick ratio of 1.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.31 and a beta of 0.68. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $27.70 and a 1 year high of $39.97. The company's 50 day moving average price is $31.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.08.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. The firm had revenue of $833.54 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $876.36 million. Analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.42, for a total value of $1,296,800.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 1,030,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,404,433.30. This represents a 3.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 20.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Company 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.