GW&K Investment Management LLC Sells 4,395 Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT)

GW&K Investment Management LLC decreased its position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 112,350 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,395 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC owned 0.21% of Central Garden & Pet worth $5,630,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter valued at about $241,000. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $291,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 21.8% during the fourth quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 5,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $257,000 after acquiring an additional 919 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 28.3% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,850 shares of the company’s stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 1,070 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Nicholas Lahanas sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.98, for a total transaction of $1,199,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 87,528 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,499,369.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider John D. Walker III sold 4,218 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.31, for a total value of $170,027.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 85,063 shares in the company, valued at $3,428,889.53. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Nicholas Lahanas sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.98, for a total transaction of $1,199,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 87,528 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,499,369.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 44,218 shares of company stock worth $1,769,928. Insiders own 9.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on CENT. Truist Financial raised their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 9th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Canaccord Genuity Group assumed coverage on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note on Tuesday, March 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $52.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note on Tuesday, March 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $52.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $54.67.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CENT opened at $46.17 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.74 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 3.33 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $42.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.62. Central Garden & Pet has a 12 month low of $28.58 and a 12 month high of $47.48.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.16. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.30% and a net margin of 4.49%. The company had revenue of $900.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $888.74 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.72 earnings per share. Central Garden & Pet’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Central Garden & Pet 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.