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Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Rating) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 786,200 shares, a growth of 16.9% from the November 30th total of 672,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 165,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.8 days. Approximately 2.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on CENTA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 22nd. TheStreet cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "b" rating to a "c+" rating in a research report on Monday, November 21st. StockNews.com cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 19th. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $52.00 to $48.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $49.50.Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of CENTA traded down $0.33 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $35.80. 117,777 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 176,687. The firm has a market cap of $1.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.88 and a beta of 0.63. Central Garden & Pet has a 12-month low of $33.69 and a 12-month high of $48.63. The company has a current ratio of 3.34, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $38.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.45.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 21st. The company reported ($0.04) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.07). Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.68% and a net margin of 4.56%. The business had revenue of $707.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $724.45 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.65 earnings per share for the current year. Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 3,400 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.73, for a total transaction of $131,682.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 88,272 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,418,774.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 20.28% of the company's stock. Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CENTA. BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 1.7% in the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 7,362,931 shares of the company's stock worth $251,517,000 after purchasing an additional 120,910 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 1.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,371,134 shares of the company's stock worth $178,254,000 after purchasing an additional 72,345 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 2.8% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,495,181 shares of the company's stock worth $85,236,000 after purchasing an additional 67,104 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 43.0% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,753,406 shares of the company's stock worth $59,897,000 after purchasing an additional 527,216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 4.0% in the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,526,429 shares of the company's stock worth $62,248,000 after purchasing an additional 58,677 shares in the last quarter. 69.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Central Garden & Pet (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 equine and livestock, as well as outdoor cushions.Further ReadingGet a free copy of the StockNews.com research report on Central Garden & Pet (CENTA)MarketBeat: Week in Review 12/26 – 12/30The Dogs Of Tech: It’s Time For A Bite Of These StocksDoes This Acquisition Make Microsoft a Bear Market Buy?Is Kintara Therapeutics A Hidden Gem?Should You Warm up to Generac Stock for the Winter?

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