Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Short Interest Update

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 827,600 shares, an increase of 16.5% from the October 15th total of 710,400 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 311,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on CENTA. StockNews.com lowered Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $41.33.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

CENTA stock opened at $31.63 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $30.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 3.66 and a quick ratio of 2.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.59 and a beta of 0.73. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $27.70 and a 1 year high of $41.03.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 60,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.54, for a total transaction of $2,012,400.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 1,125,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,758,426.42. The trade was a 5.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 30.2% during 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. Champlain Investment Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 24.8% during 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 last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 43.0% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 941,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,098,000 after acquiring an additional 283,045 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet in the 3rd quarter valued at $7,621,000. Finally, LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 85.8% during the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 439,066 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,502,000 after purchasing an additional 202,761 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

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.