Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Insider John D. Walker III Sells 4,218 Shares

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) insider John D. Walker III sold 4,218 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 85,063 shares in the company, valued at $3,428,889.53. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ CENT opened at $46.17 on Thursday. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $28.58 and a one year high of $47.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 3.33 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $42.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.10 billion, a PE ratio of 20.74 and a beta of 0.72.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $900.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $888.74 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.30% and a net margin of 4.49%. The company’s revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.72 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.4 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on CENT shares. Truist Financial increased their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group started coverage on Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Tuesday, March 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $52.00 target price for the company. TheStreet upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Tuesday, March 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $52.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $54.67.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CENT. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $98,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 3rd quarter worth $148,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 909.2% in the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 4,269 shares of the company’s stock worth $183,000 after purchasing an additional 3,846 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter worth $241,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 28.3% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,850 shares of the company’s stock worth $243,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070 shares in the last quarter. 16.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Central Garden & Pet

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.