Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Acquires 59,489 Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 7.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 832,512 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 59,489 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 1.27% of Central Garden & Pet worth $27,515,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CENTA. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 161.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 122,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,849,000 after acquiring an additional 75,718 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,175,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,304,000 after acquiring an additional 68,689 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 9.4% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 691,092 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,700,000 after purchasing an additional 59,368 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter worth about $1,637,000. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter worth about $1,573,000. 50.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on CENTA shares. StockNews.com upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Argus downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.00.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 0.6 %

CENTA opened at $32.52 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $31.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.99. Central Garden & Pet has a fifty-two week low of $27.70 and a fifty-two week high of $41.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.87 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 3.47 and a quick ratio of 1.97.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total value of $328,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

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.