Aristides Capital LLC Invests $244,000 in Central Garden & Pet Company $CENTA

Aristides Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 7,813 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $244,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 10.6% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,749,801 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,751,000 after buying an additional 167,901 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 21.1% in the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,164,376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,110,000 after purchasing an additional 202,761 shares during the period. Armistice Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 28.8% in the first quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 1,025,085 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,551,000 after purchasing an additional 229,324 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 3.4% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 941,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,454,000 after purchasing an additional 30,763 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 5.7% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 879,769 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,795,000 after purchasing an additional 47,257 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:CENTA opened at $30.98 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.95 billion, a PE ratio of 12.15 and a beta of 0.63. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 1 year low of $25.97 and a 1 year high of $37.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 3.67 and a quick ratio of 2.28. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $28.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.38.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 24th. The company reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.20) by $0.11. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.20% and a return on equity of 11.17%. The business had revenue of $678.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $657.86 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. Analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.38 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CENTA has been the subject of several analyst reports. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $50.00 price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Monday. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.50.

Central Garden & Pet Profile

Central Garden & Pet Co engages in the production and distribution of branded and private label products for the lawn, garden, and pet supplies markets. It operates through the Pet and Garden segments. The Pet segment focuses on dog and cat supplies such as dog treats and chews, toys, pet beds and containment, grooming products, waste management and training pads, supplies for aquatics, small animals, reptiles and pet birds including toys, cages and habitats, bedding, food and supplements, products for equine and livestock, animal and household health and insect control products, live fish, and small animals, as well as outdoor cushions.