Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the five research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $41.00.

CENTA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered 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 target on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. 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 opened at $30.69 on Tuesday. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $27.70 and a 1 year high of $41.03. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $32.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.42. The company has a current ratio of 3.66, a quick ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company has a market cap of $2.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.97 and a beta of 0.76.

Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 43.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the third quarter worth about $7,621,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the second quarter valued at approximately $5,508,000. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 161.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 122,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,849,000 after purchasing an additional 75,718 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,175,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,304,000 after buying an additional 68,689 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.