Analysts Set Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) PT at $41.33

Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $41.33.

Several analysts recently issued reports on CENTA shares. StockNews.com cut Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 11th.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CENTA opened at $34.13 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.41 and a beta of 0.73. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $30.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.23. The company has a current ratio of 3.66, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Central Garden & Pet has a 12-month low of $27.70 and a 12-month high of $41.03.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.54, for a total transaction of $2,012,400.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 1,125,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,758,426.42. This represents a 5.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 30.2% in the first 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 period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,653,753 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,682,000 after acquiring an additional 29,780 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 1.2% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,942,422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,392,000 after purchasing an additional 36,251 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 3.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,175,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,304,000 after purchasing an additional 68,689 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1.8% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,100,751 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,964,000 after purchasing an additional 38,077 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.