Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Buys 41,241 Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 773,023 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 41,241 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 1.15% of Central Garden & Pet worth $24,273,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 0.8% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,653,753 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,682,000 after purchasing an additional 29,780 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 215.8% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 24,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $803,000 after purchasing an additional 16,768 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 25.4% in the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 53,918 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,991,000 after purchasing an additional 10,910 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 1.8% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,100,751 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,964,000 after purchasing an additional 38,077 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 43.0% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 941,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,098,000 after purchasing an additional 283,045 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on CENTA shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.33.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of CENTA opened at $34.66 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $31.08 and a 200-day moving average of $33.04. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $27.70 and a one year high of $41.03. The company has a market cap of $2.34 billion, a PE ratio of 21.42 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 3.66 and a quick ratio of 2.19.

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.