Marshall Wace LLP Boosts Stock Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 69.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 76,524 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 31,302 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.12% of Central Garden & Pet worth $2,529,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 668.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 930 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 809 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter valued at $102,000. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 50.1% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,606 shares of the company's stock valued at $119,000 after buying an additional 1,204 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 5,458 shares of the company's stock valued at $180,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,538 shares of the company's stock worth $216,000 after buying an additional 734 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions 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 dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 67,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 20.28% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CENTA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. 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. Truist Financial reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $35.00 price objective (down previously from $40.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Argus downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $36.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Central Garden & Pet stock traded up $0.26 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $29.83. The stock had a trading volume of 176,089 shares, compared to its average volume of 310,836. The company has a current ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 1.97 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 $41.03. The company has a market capitalization of $1.95 billion, a PE ratio of 16.39 and a beta of 0.75. The firm's fifty day moving average is $31.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.89.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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, research analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS 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.