Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Insider Sells $192,500.00 in Stock

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) insider John Walker III sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.50, for a total value of $192,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 64,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,490,141.50. This represents a 7.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 1.1%

CENTA stock traded up $0.42 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $38.83. 381,031 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 313,294. Central Garden & Pet Company has a one year low of $25.97 and a one year high of $40.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a PE ratio of 14.49 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 2.67 and a current ratio of 3.79. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $37.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $34.83.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $882.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 11.13%. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 3 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of CENTA. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 37.6% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 10,979 shares of the company’s stock worth $426,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 22.6% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,295 shares of the company’s stock valued at $128,000 after purchasing an additional 608 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 96.3% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 910 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 259,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,405,000 after buying an additional 8,088 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 1st quarter worth $239,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on CENTA shares. Weiss Ratings raised Central Garden & Pet from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.67.

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.