Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Share Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT)’s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $36.93 and traded as high as $44.90. Central Garden & Pet shares last traded at $44.60, with a volume of 95,026 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CENT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $54.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.00. The stock has a market cap of $2.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.13 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a current ratio of 3.45, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last released its 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 company had revenue of $906.15 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.04 earnings per share. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CENT. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 632.3% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 974 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 841 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 1,532.7% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 1,732 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 152.3% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 1,159 shares during the period. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new stake in Central Garden & Pet in the third quarter worth about $94,000. 16.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

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.