Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Insider John D. Walker III Sells 10,000 Shares

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of CENTA traded down $0.26 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $33.25. 296,065 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 238,504. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $32.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.25. The company has a market cap of $2.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.27 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $27.70 and a 1 year high of $41.03.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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, equities research analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Argus cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $41.00.

Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CENTA. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 7.8% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 13,348 shares of the company's stock valued at $441,000 after acquiring an additional 968 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the 3rd quarter worth $594,000. CWM LLC raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 72.6% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,957 shares of the company's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 823 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised 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 worth $65,964,000 after purchasing an additional 38,077 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 39.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,650 shares of the company's stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 3,560 shares during the period. 50.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.