Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Stock Price Down 6.1% – Here’s Why

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) shares fell 6.1% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $38.08 and last traded at $38.1350. Approximately 125,793 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 59% from the average session volume of 310,210 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.60.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on CENTA. Zacks Research lowered Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on shares of 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 upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday. One 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 given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.67.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 6.1%

The stock has a market cap of $2.39 billion, a PE ratio of 14.23 and a beta of 0.59. The business’s fifty day moving average is $37.60 and its 200 day moving average is $34.63. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.03. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 11.38%. The company had revenue of $882.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,804,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $169,437,000 after acquiring an additional 20,819 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,174,296 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,034,000 after purchasing an additional 73,755 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 53.4% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,123,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,984,000 after buying an additional 738,860 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,038,370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,317,000 after buying an additional 17,263 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 5.0% during the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,012,360 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,821,000 after buying an additional 47,980 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

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.