Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

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

CENTA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Argus downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CENTA opened at $31.46 on Friday. Central Garden & Pet has a 52-week low of $27.70 and a 52-week high of $41.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 3.47. The company has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.29 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $32.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.88.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued 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 return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CENTA. FMR LLC increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 33.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 76,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,399,000 after purchasing an additional 19,306 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 161.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 122,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,849,000 after buying an additional 75,718 shares during the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter worth $1,573,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 268,331 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 8,889 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter valued at $1,637,000. 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.