Brendan Dougher Sells 3,250 Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Stock

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.38, for a total value of $108,485.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 12,845 shares in the company, valued at $428,766.10. This trade represents a 20.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

CENTA stock opened at $33.49 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $30.51. Central Garden & Pet Company has a twelve month low of $25.97 and a twelve month high of $37.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.09 billion, a PE ratio of 13.67 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $617.37 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $636.62 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 10.99%. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of CENTA. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 11.2% during the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 173,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,420,000 after buying an additional 17,508 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 8.2% during the second quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 831,433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,016,000 after acquiring an additional 63,008 shares during the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the second quarter worth about $1,431,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 3.4% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 941,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,454,000 after purchasing an additional 30,763 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 10.6% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,749,801 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,751,000 after purchasing an additional 167,901 shares during the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CENTA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Central Garden & Pet to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $28.00 price target (down previously from $31.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Friday, January 16th. CJS Securities raised Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.75.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Co is a leading producer, marketer and distributor of branded consumable gardening products and pet supplies in North America. Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, the company serves both retail and wholesale customers through a network of distribution centers across the United States and Canada. Operating under the ticker symbol CENTA on the NASDAQ exchange, Central Garden & Pet has been publicly traded since 2003.

The company’s Garden segment offers a broad portfolio of lawn and garden care solutions, including fertilizers, weed and pest control products, soil and mulch, and plant care accessories.