Analysts Set Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) PT at $41.00

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $41.00.

CENTA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Argus lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $32.41 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 3.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.81 and a beta of 0.70. Central Garden & Pet has a twelve month low of $27.70 and a twelve month high of $41.03. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.89.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. Analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 20.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 5,458 shares of the company’s stock valued at $180,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,048 shares of the company’s stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 49,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,622,000 after buying an additional 410 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 17,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $583,000 after buying an additional 468 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 160,457 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,303,000 after buying an additional 678 shares during the period. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Co engages in the production and distribution of branded and private label products for the lawn, garden, and pet supplies markets. It operates through the Pet and Garden segments. The Pet segment focuses on 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, food and supplements, products for equine and livestock, animal and household health and insect control products, live fish and small animals as well as outdoor cushions.