Natixis Advisors LLC Increases Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 13.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 17,989 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,162 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $565,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CENTA. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in 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 period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 0.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,653,753 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,682,000 after buying an additional 29,780 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 31.0% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 76,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,817,000 after buying an additional 18,047 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 215.8% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 24,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $803,000 after buying an additional 16,768 shares during the period. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 9.1% during the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 873,301 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,242,000 after acquiring an additional 73,192 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 1.1 %

NASDAQ:CENTA opened at $34.13 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $30.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.23. Central Garden & Pet has a 52 week low of $27.70 and a 52 week high of $41.03. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market cap of $2.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.09 and a beta of 0.73.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note 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 note on Friday, October 11th. Two equities research 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $41.33.

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.