John Ranelli Sells 3,668 Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Stock

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) Director John Ranelli sold 3,668 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.50, for a total value of $126,546.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 646 shares in the company, valued at $22,287. The trade was a 85.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CENTA traded down $0.43 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $34.80. 276,994 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 277,794. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.20 and a beta of 0.67. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $30.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $30.39. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 12 month low of $25.97 and a 12 month high of $37.35.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CENTA has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “underweight” rating and set a $28.00 price target (down from $31.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen lowered Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. 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 raised Central Garden & Pet to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 164.0% during the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 858 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 533 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 444.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 817 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 198.4% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 752 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

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.