Congress Asset Management Co. Has $6.47 Million Stock Holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 9.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 195,847 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,033 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. owned about 0.30% of Central Garden & Pet worth $6,473,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CENTA. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the 3rd quarter valued at $7,621,000. Barclays PLC raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 161.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 122,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,849,000 after purchasing an additional 75,718 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 3.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,175,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,304,000 after acquiring an additional 68,689 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 9.4% during the 3rd 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. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 5.6% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 773,023 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,273,000 after acquiring an additional 41,241 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of CENTA stock opened at $33.25 on Tuesday. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $27.70 and a one year high of $41.03. The stock has a market cap of $2.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.27 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $32.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $32.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 3.47 and a quick ratio of 2.19.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 3.77% and a return on equity of 10.08%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.2 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In related news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 67,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet 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.