Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) have earned an average rating of “Buy” from the five analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $41.33.

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 11th.

Insider Activity at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, Director Brooks Pennington III sold 1,486 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.80, for a total transaction of $48,740.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 40,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,336,370.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Central Garden & Pet news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.54, for a total transaction of $2,012,400.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 1,125,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,758,426.42. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Brooks Pennington III sold 1,486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.80, for a total transaction of $48,740.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 40,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,336,370.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 63,986 shares of company stock worth $2,146,841 in the last ninety days. 20.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CENTA. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 30.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,636,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $208,093,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306,309 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 0.8% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,653,753 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,682,000 after buying an additional 29,780 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 1.2% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,942,422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,392,000 after buying an additional 36,251 shares in the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 24.8% during the first quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,303,369 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,040,000 after buying an additional 457,699 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 1.8% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,100,751 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,964,000 after acquiring an additional 38,077 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 3.2 %

NASDAQ:CENTA opened at $32.07 on Thursday. Central Garden & Pet has a 52 week low of $27.70 and a 52 week high of $41.03. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a market cap of $2.16 billion, a PE ratio of 14.79 and a beta of 0.73. The business’s 50 day moving average is $31.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.65.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $996.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 4.42% and a return on equity of 10.66%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.40 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.11 EPS for the current year.

Central Garden & Pet Company 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.