Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) to a hold rating in a report issued on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on CENT. Zacks Research downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered Central Garden & Pet from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $54.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of CENT stock opened at $41.58 on Friday. Central Garden & Pet has a 12-month low of $30.22 and a 12-month high of $46.97. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $41.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $40.98. The company has a current ratio of 3.79, a quick ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $2.60 billion, a PE ratio of 15.51 and a beta of 0.67.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.13% and a net margin of 5.39%. The firm had revenue of $883.72 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $882.96 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.56 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS. Analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John Walker, III sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.50, for a total value of $192,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 64,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,490,141.50. This trade represents a 7.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 8.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CENT. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the 3rd quarter worth $53,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,403 shares of the company’s stock worth $327,000 after acquiring an additional 1,219 shares during the period. Engineers Gate Manager LP grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 24,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,081,000 after purchasing an additional 1,132 shares during the last quarter. Nykredit A S purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the 2nd quarter valued at about $80,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the 2nd quarter valued at about $208,000. 16.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) is a marketer and manufacturer of products for the pet and garden markets. The company sells its products through retailers, distributors, e-commerce channels and other outlets, serving consumers primarily in the United States.

Its Pet segment offers products for dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles and small animals. Product categories include treats, toys, bedding, habitats, aquatics supplies, animal health products and training or waste-management products.