Wall Street Zen Downgrades Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) to Hold

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Zacks Research downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $46.67.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $39.06 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $37.70 and a 200-day moving average of $34.70. The company has a market capitalization of $2.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.57 and a beta of 0.59. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $25.97 and a 1 year high of $40.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 3.79 and a quick ratio of 2.67.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.03. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 11.13%. The business had revenue of $882.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 3 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 1.4% during the first 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. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 22.6% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,295 shares of the company’s stock worth $128,000 after acquiring an additional 608 shares during the last quarter. Aristides Capital LLC grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 8.0% in the third quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 8,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $249,000 after acquiring an additional 623 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 2.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 30,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $996,000 after acquiring an additional 743 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 198.4% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 752 shares during the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.