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 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 transaction, the insider owned 64,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,490,141.50. This trade represents a 7.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of CENTA stock traded up $0.42 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $38.83. 381,031 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 313,294. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $37.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $34.83. The company has a market cap of $2.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.49 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 2.67, a current ratio of 3.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 12 month low of $25.97 and a 12 month high of $40.79.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $882.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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. On average, equities analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on CENTA. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. 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. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $46.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 33,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,071,000 after acquiring an additional 443 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 22.6% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,295 shares of the company’s stock worth $128,000 after acquiring an additional 608 shares during the last quarter. Aristides Capital LLC increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 8.0% during the third quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 8,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $249,000 after acquiring an additional 623 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 2.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 30,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $996,000 after purchasing an additional 743 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 198.4% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 752 shares during the period. 50.82% of the stock is currently 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.