Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $39.03 and last traded at $39.2250, with a volume of 21243 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $37.92.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CENTA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.00.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 4.0%

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.69. 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 cap of $2.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.34 and a beta of 0.59.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $906.15 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $846.58 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 5.42%.Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Orchard Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Orchard Capital Management LLC now owns 11,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 40.0% in the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 33,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,071,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares during the last quarter. Aristides Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 8.0% during the third quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 8,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $249,000 after buying an additional 623 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 11,903 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

About Central Garden & Pet

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.