Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Receives Average Recommendation of "Buy" from Brokerages

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Buy" by the five analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $41.33.

CENTA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 11th. StockNews.com downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

NASDAQ CENTA traded down $0.17 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $29.14. 426,835 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 279,457. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $33.78. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $27.70 and a 1 year high of $41.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 3.66 and a quick ratio of 2.16. The company has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.43 and a beta of 0.72.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $996.35 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 4.42%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.40 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Central Garden & Pet

In related news, Director Brooks Pennington III sold 1,486 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.80, for a total value of $48,740.80. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 40,743 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,336,370.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 60,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.54, for a total value of $2,012,400.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 1,125,773 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,758,426.42. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Brooks Pennington III sold 1,486 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.80, for a total value of $48,740.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 40,743 shares in the company, valued at $1,336,370.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 63,986 shares of company stock valued at $2,146,841 in the last ninety days. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CENTA. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 30.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,636,319 shares of the company's stock worth $208,093,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306,309 shares in the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 24.8% in the 1st quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,303,369 shares of the company's stock worth $85,040,000 after purchasing an additional 457,699 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 43.0% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 941,509 shares of the company's stock worth $31,098,000 after purchasing an additional 283,045 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 24.9% in the 1st quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,090,060 shares of the company's stock worth $40,245,000 after purchasing an additional 217,006 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 85.8% in the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 439,066 shares of the company's stock worth $14,502,000 after purchasing an additional 202,761 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.