Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Receives $41.00 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $41.00.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on CENTA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Argus downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 0.8 %

NASDAQ CENTA opened at $33.25 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.27 and a beta of 0.76. Central Garden & Pet has a twelve month low of $27.70 and a twelve month high of $41.03. The company has a quick ratio of 2.19, a current ratio of 3.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The business’s fifty day moving average is $32.49 and its 200 day moving average is $32.27.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total value of $328,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CENTA. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,979,003 shares of the company’s stock valued at $197,606,000 after purchasing an additional 306,449 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 3.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,175,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,304,000 after acquiring an additional 68,689 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,100,751 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,964,000 after acquiring an additional 38,077 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,373,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,381,000 after acquiring an additional 170,121 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.