Nuveen Asset Management LLC Has $4.62 Million Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 139,894 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,623 shares during the quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned about 0.21% of Central Garden & Pet worth $4,623,000 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 the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,979,003 shares of the company’s stock valued at $197,606,000 after purchasing an additional 306,449 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 14.1% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,373,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,381,000 after purchasing an additional 170,121 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 832,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,515,000 after purchasing an additional 59,489 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 805,564 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,624,000 after purchasing an additional 17,530 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highbridge Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 89.8% in the fourth quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC now owns 685,847 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,667,000 after purchasing an additional 324,493 shares during the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 60,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.39, for a total value of $1,943,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 1,070,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,669,122.35. The trade was a 5.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold a total of 107,800 shares of company stock worth $3,490,112 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 0.2%

CENTA stock opened at $32.07 on Friday. Central Garden & Pet has a twelve month low of $27.70 and a twelve month high of $37.84. The company has a market cap of $2.10 billion, a PE ratio of 17.62 and a beta of 0.68. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $31.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 3.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CENTA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price 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 reissued a “hold” rating and set a $35.00 target price (down from $40.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $33.00.

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.