Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Shares Pass Above 200 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) shares passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $37.87 and traded as high as $44.59. Central Garden & Pet shares last traded at $44.50, with a volume of 91,259 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on CENT shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $54.00.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.86 and a beta of 0.60. The business has a 50-day moving average of $41.33 and a 200 day moving average of $37.91. The company has a current ratio of 3.45, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $846.58 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.04 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of CENT. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 119.9% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 15.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 77,792 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,860,000 after buying an additional 10,132 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 45.0% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 37,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,363,000 after buying an additional 11,508 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 23.7% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 16,065 shares of the company’s stock valued at $591,000 after buying an additional 3,074 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 59.5% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 181,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,684,000 after buying an additional 67,800 shares in the last quarter. 16.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ: CENT) is a leading North American specialty retailer, manufacturer and distributor serving the lawn and garden and pet supplies markets. The company operates through two primary segments: Pet and Garden. In the Pet segment, Central Garden & Pet offers a comprehensive range of products including pet food, treats, accessories, training products and habitat solutions for dogs, cats, birds, fish and small animals. The Garden segment encompasses a wide array of lawn, garden and outdoor living products, such as soils, fertilizers, planters, pest control solutions, landscape lighting and watering equipment.

Central Garden & Pet’s product portfolio includes both proprietary and branded offerings.