Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Insider John Walker III Sells 5,000 Shares of Stock

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) insider John Walker III sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.50, for a total transaction of $192,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 64,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,490,141.50. This represents a 7.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of CENTA opened at $38.83 on Thursday. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 1 year low of $25.97 and a 1 year high of $40.79. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $37.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.90. The company has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.49 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 2.67 and a current ratio of 3.79.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.03. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 11.13%. The firm had revenue of $882.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 3 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on CENTA shares. Wall Street Zen cut Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $46.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 15.9% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 18,471 shares of the company’s stock worth $605,000 after buying an additional 2,532 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 56.8% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 48,438 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,585,000 after buying an additional 17,556 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 30,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $996,000 after buying an additional 743 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 179.2% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 180,907 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,921,000 after acquiring an additional 116,101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 263,518 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,625,000 after acquiring an additional 12,749 shares during the period. 50.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Co is a leading producer, marketer and distributor of branded consumable gardening products and pet supplies in North America. Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, the company serves both retail and wholesale customers through a network of distribution centers across the United States and Canada. Operating under the ticker symbol CENTA on the NASDAQ exchange, Central Garden & Pet has been publicly traded since 2003.

The company’s Garden segment offers a broad portfolio of lawn and garden care solutions, including fertilizers, weed and pest control products, soil and mulch, and plant care accessories.