Central Garden & Pet Company $CENTA Shares Acquired by Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 2.9% in the fourth 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’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $55,729,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of CENTA. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 212,850 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,230,000 after buying an additional 39,339 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 16.0% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 235,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,954,000 after buying an additional 32,496 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 209.2% in the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,384,619 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,888,000 after buying an additional 936,852 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 5.5% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,217,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,484,000 after acquiring an additional 115,706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 6.4% in the third quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 884,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,128,000 after acquiring an additional 53,351 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

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

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $617.37 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $636.62 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 10.99%. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.38 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on CENTA shares. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Central Garden & Pet to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, CJS Securities raised Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.75.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John Ranelli sold 3,668 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.50, for a total transaction 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 represents a 85.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.38, for a total transaction of $108,485.00. Following the sale, the director owned 12,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $428,766.10. This trade represents a 20.19% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

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.