Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $46.6667.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Zacks Research cut Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Tuesday, July 7th.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

CENTA stock opened at $38.29 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 3.45 and a quick ratio of 2.16. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $25.97 and a 1 year high of $39.99. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $36.46 and a 200 day moving average of $33.74. The company has a market cap of $2.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.92 and a beta of 0.57.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.21. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 5.42%.The business had revenue of $906.15 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $846.58 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CENTA. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 33,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,071,000 after acquiring an additional 443 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 22.6% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,295 shares of the company’s stock valued at $128,000 after purchasing an additional 608 shares during the last quarter. Aristides Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 8.0% during the third quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 8,436 shares of the company’s stock valued at $249,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 2.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 30,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $996,000 after purchasing an additional 743 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 198.4% in the fourth 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 last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Central Garden & Pet

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.