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

Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $41.00.

Several research analysts have weighed in on CENTA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Argus lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

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 stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total value of $328,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CENTA. Highbridge Capital Management LLC grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 89.8% during the fourth quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC now owns 685,847 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,667,000 after buying an additional 324,493 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,979,003 shares of the company’s stock valued at $197,606,000 after acquiring an additional 306,449 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter worth approximately $8,245,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the third quarter worth approximately $7,621,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 14.1% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,373,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,381,000 after purchasing an additional 170,121 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of CENTA stock opened at $33.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 3.47 and a quick ratio of 2.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $32.49 and a 200-day moving average of $32.27. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $27.70 and a one year high of $41.03. The company has a market cap of $2.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.27 and a beta of 0.76.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 3.77% and a return on equity of 10.08%. Equities research analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Central Garden & Pet

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.