American Century Companies Inc. Purchases 170,121 Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 14.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,373,100 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 170,121 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $45,381,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CENTA. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 668.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 930 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 809 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter valued at about $102,000. KBC Group NV raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 50.1% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,606 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,000 after buying an additional 1,204 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 253.7% in the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 3,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $122,000 after acquiring an additional 2,791 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 32.0% during the third quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 6,154 shares of the company’s stock worth $193,000 after acquiring an additional 1,492 shares during the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CENTA opened at $31.92 on Friday. Central Garden & Pet has a twelve month low of $27.70 and a twelve month high of $41.03. The company has a current ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The company has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a PE ratio of 17.54 and a beta of 0.70. The company’s 50 day moving average is $31.90 and its 200 day moving average is $31.90.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CENTA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Argus lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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 equities research 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.00.

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.