Victory Capital Management Inc. Purchases 115,706 Shares of Central Garden & Pet Company $CENTA

Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,217,545 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 115,706 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 3.53% of Central Garden & Pet worth $65,484,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 15.9% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 18,471 shares of the company’s stock valued at $605,000 after acquiring an additional 2,532 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 56.8% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 48,438 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,585,000 after purchasing an additional 17,556 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 30,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $996,000 after purchasing an additional 743 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 179.2% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 180,907 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,921,000 after acquiring an additional 116,101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 263,518 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,625,000 after purchasing an additional 12,749 shares during the period. 50.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John Ranelli sold 3,668 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.50, for a total transaction of $126,546.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 646 shares in the company, 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 firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $428,766.10. This represents 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 currently owned by insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 2.2%

NASDAQ:CENTA opened at $32.91 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 1.97. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $31.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.55. The company has a market capitalization of $2.05 billion, a PE ratio of 13.43 and a beta of 0.64. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 1-year low of $25.97 and a 1-year high of $37.35.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Weiss Ratings raised Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, CJS Securities raised shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. One 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.75.

About Central Garden & Pet

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.