Pet Stocks: Nine Ways to Make Money From Caring for Your Pets

Is this the dog days of summer? Dogs and cats and other pets are big business and are big consumers of food, toys, medical care, and numerous other pet items. In a previous article back in February, I wrote about stocks that catered mostly to dogs. I also had previously written about the DOG ETF [exchange traded fund] which has absolutely nothing to to with animals.

Here are nine stocks in no particular order which cater to various types of pets that you might want to sink your teeth into. All of these have market caps over $250 million.

Petsmart Inc. (PETM), is a Phoenix company that is one of the few publicly traded companies that seems to offer everything for dogs, and other pets. In addition to selling toys, food, and other products, it also offers services such as grooming, baths, toenail trimming, and tooth brushing, training and boarding at their Pet Hotels, through its website and stores. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 16.5, a price earnings to growth of 1.08, and even generates a small yield of 0.4 percent.

Patterson Companies Inc. (PDCO) , distributes lab supplies, paper goods, needles and syringes, gauze and wound dressings, sutures, latex gloves, orthopedic, and casting products, as well as pharmaceuticals, including anesthetics, antibiotics, injectibles, ointments, and diagnostics to veterinarians. Its P/E is 24.41, and its PEG is 1.34.

MWI Veterinary Supply, Inc. (MWIV), distributes pharmaceuticals, vaccines, diagnostics, capital equipment, supplies, veterinary pet food, and nutritional products to veterinarians. It has a P/E of 27.35, and a PEG of 1.78.

Bayer AG (BAY), produces many types of products and pharmaceuticals, but it also has a pet health division which makes Advantage flea control, and K9 Advantix flea, tick, and mosquito control. The P/E is 10.58, and its yield is 1.5%.

VCA Antech Inc. (WOOF), provides veterinary services and animal diagnostic testing services and products. The P/E is 30.58 and the PEG is 1.76.

Animal Health International, Inc. (AHII), sells about 35,000 animal health products. The forward P/E is 15.8, and it has a PEG of 1.51.

Henry Schein Inc. (HSIC), is primarily in the dental products business but also distributes animal health products and practice-management software systems for dental, and medical practitioners, in addition to animal health clinics. The P/E is 28.13, and the PEG is 1.34.

PetMed Express Inc. (PETS), markets prescription and non-prescription pet medications, and other health products for animals. The P/E is 21.71, and the PEG is 1.21.

Central Garden & Pet Co. (CENT), sells edible bones, premium edible and non-edible chews, premium dog and cat food, leashes, collars, toys, pet carriers, grooming supplies, and other pet accessories. The P/E is 22.79, and the PEG is 1.53.

Disclosure: The author owns BAY.