Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Insider Sells $114,065.00 in Stock

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) insider John Walker III sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.59, for a total value of $114,065.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 67,328 shares in the company, valued at $2,194,219.52. This represents a 4.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of CENTA stock opened at $32.66 on Thursday. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 12 month low of $27.70 and a 12 month high of $37.35. The firm has a market cap of $2.05 billion, a PE ratio of 14.85 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $33.47 and a 200-day moving average of $32.22. The company has a quick ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 3.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $960.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $993.66 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.77% and a net margin of 4.44%. On average, equities analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.38 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and set a $35.00 price target (down previously from $40.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of CENTA. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the second quarter worth $1,148,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 4.8% during the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 202,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,351,000 after acquiring an additional 9,314 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 8.2% during the second quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 67,499 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,113,000 after acquiring an additional 5,117 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 239.5% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $195,000 after acquiring an additional 4,388 shares during the period. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 14.7% during the second quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 37,259 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,166,000 after acquiring an additional 4,779 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

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.