Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Position Increased by Invesco Ltd.

Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Free Report) by 15.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 87,095 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 11,532 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned approximately 0.13% of Central Garden & Pet worth $3,379,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 693.6% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,246 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 1,089 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter worth $58,000. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 193.8% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,201 shares of the company's stock valued at $151,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 29.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,521 shares of the company's stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,016 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,488 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.13% of the company's stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of CENT traded up $0.23 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $34.14. The company had a trading volume of 7,851 shares, compared to its average volume of 143,525. The stock has a market cap of $2.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.78 and a beta of 0.80. The company's 50 day moving average price is $35.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.89. 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 $32.16 and a 52 week high of $47.48.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 8.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on CENT. Argus downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. 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 report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average 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.