Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Has $28.06 Million Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. reduced its holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 849,509 shares of the company’s stock after selling 23,792 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $28,059,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in CENTA. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 30.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,636,319 shares of the company’s stock worth $208,093,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306,309 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,653,753 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,682,000 after purchasing an additional 29,780 shares in the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 24.8% during the 1st quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,303,369 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,040,000 after purchasing an additional 457,699 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 29.9% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,087,178 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,059,000 after purchasing an additional 480,805 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 1,112,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,070,000 after purchasing an additional 74,256 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Argus raised Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $38.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 1st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John Ranelli sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.28, for a total transaction of $85,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 822 shares in the company, valued at $28,178.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 60,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.54, for a total transaction of $2,012,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 1,125,773 shares in the company, valued at $37,758,426.42. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John Ranelli sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.28, for a total value of $85,700.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,178.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 63,986 shares of company stock valued at $2,146,841. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of CENTA stock opened at $32.83 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $33.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 3.66 and a quick ratio of 2.16. The firm has a market cap of $2.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.72 and a beta of 0.73. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $27.88 and a one year high of $41.03.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $996.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 4.42%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.40 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.