The Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Share Price Is Up 293% And Shareholders Are Boasting About It
When you buy a stock there is always a possibility that it could drop 100%. But on a lighter note, a good company can see its share price rise well over 100%. One great example is Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) which saw its share price drive 293% higher over five years. The last week saw the share price soften some 5.6%.
Check out our latest analysis for Central Garden & Pet
While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.
During five years of share price growth, Central Garden & Pet achieved compound earnings per share (EPS) growth of 169% per year. This EPS growth is higher than the 31% average annual increase in the share price. So it seems the market isn’t so enthusiastic about the stock these days.
You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).
We know that Central Garden & Pet has improved its bottom line over the last three years, but what does the future have in store? This free interactive report on Central Garden & Pet’s balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.
A Different Perspective
We regret to report that Central Garden & Pet shareholders are down 26% for the year. Unfortunately, that’s worse than the broader market decline of 0.4%. Having said that, it’s inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Longer term investors wouldn’t be so upset, since they would have made 31%, each year, over five years. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. If you would like to research Central Garden & Pet in more detail then you might want to take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in the company.
For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
