Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Has $5.37 Million Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) by 23.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 138,273 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,968 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.21% of Central Garden & Pet worth $5,365,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 148,910 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,431,000 after purchasing an additional 2,450 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 73,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,867,000 after buying an additional 2,129 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 53,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,070,000 after acquiring an additional 2,141 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 48,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,878,000 after acquiring an additional 2,297 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 73.8% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 35,228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,285,000 after acquiring an additional 14,964 shares during the period. 16.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Central Garden & Pet

In related news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 8.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CENT shares. Argus cut Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $48.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $45.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of CENT opened at $34.48 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.95 and a beta of 0.73. Central Garden & Pet has a 52 week low of $32.17 and a 52 week high of $47.48. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $36.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 3.47.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. Equities analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Central Garden & Pet Company 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.