Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Shares Bought by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 43.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 941,509 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 283,045 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 1.40% of Central Garden & Pet worth $31,098,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 33.1% during the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 181,017 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,739,000 after purchasing an additional 44,969 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 1,038.2% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 129,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,789,000 after buying an additional 118,345 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter worth about $11,786,000. Congress Asset Management Co. MA grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 22.7% in the 1st quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 183,737 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,784,000 after buying an additional 33,983 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 30.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,636,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $208,093,000 after acquiring an additional 1,306,309 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ CENTA opened at $32.64 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $33.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.06. The company has a current ratio of 3.66, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Central Garden & Pet has a 12-month low of $27.88 and a 12-month high of $41.03. The company has a market cap of $2.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.64 and a beta of 0.73.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $996.35 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 4.42%. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.40 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 1st. Argus upgraded Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $38.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.00.

Insider Transactions at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, Director John Ranelli sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.28, for a total transaction of $85,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 822 shares in the company, valued at $28,178.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Central Garden & Pet news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.54, for a total transaction of $2,012,400.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 1,125,773 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,758,426.42. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John Ranelli sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.28, for a total transaction of $85,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,178.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 63,986 shares of company stock valued at $2,146,841. Corporate insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

Central Garden & Pet Company produces and distributes various products for the lawn and garden, and pet supplies markets in the United States. It operates through two segments: Pet and Garden. The Pet segment provides 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, and food and supplements; products for equine and livestock; animal and household health and insect control products; aquariums and terrariums, including fixtures and stands, water conditioners and supplements, water pumps and filters, and lighting systems and accessories; and live fish and small animals, as well as outdoor cushions.