Insider Selling: Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Insider Sells $192,500.00 in Stock

Posted by George Bondi on Aug 15th, 2026

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA – Get Free Report) insider John Walker III sold 5,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $2,490,141.50. The trade was a 7.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:CENTA opened at $37.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.12 and a beta of 0.59. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $38.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $34.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 3.79 and a quick ratio of 2.67. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 1-year low of $25.97 and a 1-year high of $40.79.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $882.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 11.13%. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 3 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Read Our Latest Research Report on CENTA

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 444.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,001 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 817 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 198.4% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 752 shares during the period. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 577.9% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,654 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 1,410 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.