Intech Investment Management LLC Purchases 21,500 Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 94.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,221 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,500 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $1,462,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CENTA. Keybank National Association OH boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 17,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $583,000 after buying an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 160,457 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,303,000 after buying an additional 678 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 107,637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,557,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 43.8% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 668.6% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 930 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 809 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on CENTA. Argus lowered Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com raised Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.00.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $30.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 3.47. The firm has a market cap of $2.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.74 and a beta of 0.70. The business’s fifty day moving average is $31.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.96. Central Garden & Pet has a 52 week low of $27.70 and a 52 week high of $41.03.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. Equities research analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions 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 transaction of $328,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.