Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the five brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $41.00.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Argus cut Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th.

Insider Activity at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total value of $328,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. This trade represents a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 668.6% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 930 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 809 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 43.8% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter worth $102,000. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 253.7% during the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 3,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 2,791 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 5,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $180,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the period. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of CENTA opened at $30.99 on Wednesday. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $27.70 and a 1 year high of $41.03. The company has a current ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $32.12. The stock has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a PE ratio of 17.03 and a beta of 0.76.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

Central Garden & Pet Co engages in the production and distribution of branded and private label products for the lawn, garden, and pet supplies markets. It operates through the Pet and Garden segments. The Pet segment focuses on 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, food and supplements, products for equine and livestock, animal and household health and insect control products, live fish and small animals as well as outdoor cushions.