Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the six research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $46.67.

Several research analysts have weighed in on CENTA shares. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price objective on 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 cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CENTA opened at $34.06 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.79, a quick ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.71 and a beta of 0.59. Central Garden & Pet has a 12 month low of $25.97 and a 12 month high of $40.79. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $37.07 and a 200-day moving average of $35.63.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last announced 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.98 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider John Walker, III sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.50, for a total transaction of $192,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 64,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,490,141.50. This trade represents a 7.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew 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 worth $1,071,000 after buying an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 22.6% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,295 shares of the company’s stock valued at $128,000 after acquiring an additional 608 shares in the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 20,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $799,000 after acquiring an additional 717 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 198.4% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 752 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 96.3% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 910 shares during the period. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

Central Garden & Pet Company is a marketer and manufacturer of branded products for the pet and lawn-and-garden markets. The company sells its products through retailers, distributors, e-commerce channels and other outlets, serving consumers, pet owners and gardening customers primarily in the United States.

Its pet portfolio includes products for dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles, small animals and other companion animals. Offerings include pet food, treats, toys, chews, bedding, habitats, aquatics products, waste-management products and animal health and wellness items.