Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Insider Sells $328,600.00 in Stock

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CENT traded up $0.90 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $39.35. 95,562 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 95,362. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $38.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $37.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.58 billion, a PE ratio of 21.62 and a beta of 0.79. Central Garden & Pet has a 12 month low of $32.17 and a 12 month high of $47.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 2.19 and a current ratio of 3.47.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 693.6% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter valued at about $58,000. Glenmede Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 23.2% during the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 2,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the 3rd quarter valued at about $111,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 193.8% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $151,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares during the last quarter. 16.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on CENT shares. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $50.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $48.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Argus lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $46.75.

About Central Garden & Pet

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.