Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.03 EPS

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.03, Zacks reports. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.42% and a return on equity of 11.55%. Central Garden & Pet updated its FY 2026 guidance to 2.850- EPS.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 0.3%

CENTA traded down $0.11 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $38.54. 202,700 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 309,014. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $37.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 3.45 and a quick ratio of 2.16. Central Garden & Pet has a fifty-two week low of $25.97 and a fifty-two week high of $39.99. The stock has a market cap of $2.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.01 and a beta of 0.59.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CENTA. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,253,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,148,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 28.5% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 36,394 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,075,000 after purchasing an additional 8,066 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 30,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $996,000 after purchasing an additional 743 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 32,607 shares of the company’s stock worth $952,000 after purchasing an additional 2,051 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CENTA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $46.67.

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.