JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases Stock Holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Free Report) by 69.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 59,603 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 24,375 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned 0.09% of Central Garden & Pet worth $2,313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in CENT. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 51.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 34,944 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,275,000 after buying an additional 11,865 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,016 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 693.6% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,246 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 1,089 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 48,392 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,878,000 after buying an additional 2,297 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 29,052 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,127,000 after buying an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. 16.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Argus downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $45.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 0.1 %

NASDAQ:CENT traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $34.57. 100,013 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 143,467. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.99 and a beta of 0.80. Central Garden & Pet has a 52 week low of $32.17 and a 52 week high of $47.48. The firm's 50 day moving average is $35.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.92. 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:CENT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 3.77% and a return on equity of 10.08%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

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.