Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Hits New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $43.83 and last traded at $42.57, with a volume of 121223 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $43.18.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on CENT shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $54.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $38.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 3.45 and a quick ratio of 2.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.69 billion, a PE ratio of 15.63 and a beta of 0.63.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $906.15 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $846.58 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.42% and a return on equity of 11.55%. Central Garden & Pet’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.04 earnings per share. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CENT. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the first quarter worth about $7,347,000. Citadel Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 120.9% in the third quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 156,596 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,113,000 after purchasing an additional 85,706 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 39.2% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 259,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,500,000 after purchasing an additional 72,977 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 67,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 37.7% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 149,156 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,247,000 after purchasing an additional 40,803 shares during the last quarter. 16.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Central Garden & Pet

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.