Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Grows Position in Central Garden & Pet Company $CENTA

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,924,354 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 54,930 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned 3.09% of Central Garden & Pet worth $55,729,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of CENTA. LSV Asset Management grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 209.2% during the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,384,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,888,000 after buying an additional 936,852 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 181.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 549,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,222,000 after buying an additional 354,016 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 1,109.1% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 196,777 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,811,000 after acquiring an additional 180,503 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 237.5% in the third quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 211,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,249,000 after acquiring an additional 148,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 8.1% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,892,120 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,874,000 after acquiring an additional 142,319 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ CENTA opened at $32.11 on Thursday. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 12-month low of $25.97 and a 12-month high of $37.35. The company has a market cap of $2.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.11 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $32.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $30.43.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $617.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $636.62 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.99% and a net margin of 5.04%.Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on CENTA shares. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. CJS Securities raised Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Canaccord Genuity Group raised shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $28.00 price target (down from $31.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Friday, January 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Director John Ranelli sold 3,668 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.50, for a total value of $126,546.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 646 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,287. This trade represents a 85.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.38, for a total transaction of $108,485.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 12,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $428,766.10. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 20.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Profile

Central Garden & Pet Co is a leading producer, marketer and distributor of branded consumable gardening products and pet supplies in North America. Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, the company serves both retail and wholesale customers through a network of distribution centers across the United States and Canada. Operating under the ticker symbol CENTA on the NASDAQ exchange, Central Garden & Pet has been publicly traded since 2003.

The company’s Garden segment offers a broad portfolio of lawn and garden care solutions, including fertilizers, weed and pest control products, soil and mulch, and plant care accessories.