MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. Increases Stock Holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 29,678 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,024 shares during the quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd.’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $981,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CENTA. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 161.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 122,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,849,000 after acquiring an additional 75,718 shares in the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter valued at $1,573,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 268,331 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,868,000 after purchasing an additional 8,889 shares in the last quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 89.8% during the fourth quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC now owns 685,847 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,667,000 after buying an additional 324,493 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter valued at about $473,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ CENTA opened at $31.51 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.31 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 3.47 and a quick ratio of 1.97. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $32.08. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $27.70 and a 1 year high of $39.97.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.10. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. The company had revenue of $833.54 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $876.36 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CENTA has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Truist Financial restated a “hold” rating and issued a $35.00 target price (down from $40.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $33.00.

Insider Activity at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 40,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.42, for a total value of $1,296,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 1,030,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,404,433.30. The trade was a 3.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 20.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.