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Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Rating) SVP John Edward Hanson sold 6,466 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.65, for a total value of $275,774.90. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 49,805 shares in the company, valued at $2,124,183.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of CENTA traded up $0.21 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $42.28. 148,265 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 177,990. The company has a quick ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 3.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $40.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $41.53. Central Garden & Pet has a 12-month low of $37.56 and a 12-month high of $52.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.24 and a beta of 0.55.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 3rd. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $993.37 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.86% and a net margin of 4.48%. Equities analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.86 EPS for the current fiscal year. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CENTA. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 8th. KeyCorp cut their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $56.00 to $52.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 4th.Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CENTA. Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the first quarter worth $754,000. Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 47.3% in the 4th quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 38,112 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,824,000 after buying an additional 12,233 shares during the period. IndexIQ Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 19.7% in the first quarter. IndexIQ Advisors LLC now owns 9,745 shares of the company's stock worth $397,000 after buying an additional 1,607 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,467,752 shares of the company's stock worth $70,232,000 after acquiring an additional 249,979 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 958,971 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,887,000 after acquiring an additional 91,443 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.74% of the company's stock. Central Garden & Pet Company Profile (Get Rating)

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 grooming products, waste management and training pads, and pet containment; supplies for aquatics, small animals, reptiles, and pet birds, including toys, cages and habitats, bedding, and food and supplements; animal and household health and insect control products; live fish and products for fish, reptiles, and other aquarium-based pets, such as aquariums, furniture and lighting fixtures, pumps, filters, water conditioners, food, and supplements; and products for horses and livestock, as well as outdoor cushions and pillows.Further ReadingGet a free copy of the StockNews.com research report on Central Garden & Pet (CENTA)Starbucks Stock, Is Brand Loyalty Enough Reason to BuyBJ’s Wholesale Club Pops, Will Costco Be Next?Why Blue-Chip Tech Like Cisco Systems Is ReboundingWhy Micron Stock Could Be About To Breakout Which Semiconductor Stocks Are Ready For Big Price Moves?

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