Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Receives $41.00 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $41.00.

CENTA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. StockNews.com raised Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Argus downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

NASDAQ CENTA traded down $0.01 during trading on Thursday, reaching $30.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 14,360 shares, compared to its average volume of 308,508. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.99 billion, a PE ratio of 16.58 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 3.47 and a quick ratio of 1.97. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $31.58 and a 200 day moving average of $31.92. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $27.70 and a one year high of $41.03.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 net margin of 3.77% and a return on equity of 10.08%. Analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 67,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 20.28% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CENTA. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 668.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 930 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 809 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $102,000. KBC Group NV raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 50.1% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,606 shares of the company's stock worth $119,000 after acquiring an additional 1,204 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 5,458 shares of the company's stock worth $180,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,538 shares of the company's stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 734 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company's stock.

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.