Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Hold”

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $46.67.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CENTA opened at $39.06 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $37.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $34.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 3.79. The firm has a market cap of $2.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.57 and a beta of 0.59. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $25.97 and a 1 year high of $40.79.

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

Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the third quarter worth $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 444.0% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,001 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 817 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 198.4% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 752 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 577.9% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,654 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 1,410 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.