Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Insider Sells $170,027.58 in Stock

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) insider John D. Walker III sold 4,218 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.31, for a total value of $170,027.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 85,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,428,889.53. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of CENTA opened at $39.76 on Thursday. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $27.02 and a one year high of $41.03. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.67 billion, a PE ratio of 17.83 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 3.33 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,306,309 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,740,909 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,711,000 after purchasing an additional 23,601 shares in the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 24.8% in the first quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,303,369 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,040,000 after acquiring an additional 457,699 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 29.9% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,087,178 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,059,000 after acquiring an additional 480,805 shares during the period. Finally, Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 7.2% during the first quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 1,112,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,070,000 after buying an additional 74,256 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Monness Crespi & Hardt increased their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 9th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.75.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

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.