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

Shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $41.50.

Several brokerages recently commented on CENTA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Monday. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. CJS Securities raised Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $29.54 on Thursday. Central Garden & Pet has a twelve month low of $25.97 and a twelve month high of $37.35. The company has a quick ratio of 2.33, a current ratio of 3.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a market capitalization of $1.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.58 and a beta of 0.63. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $29.18 and its 200 day moving average is $31.16.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The company reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.20) by $0.11. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.17% and a net margin of 5.20%.The business had revenue of $678.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $657.86 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,217,545 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,484,000 after purchasing an additional 115,706 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 3.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,174,296 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,034,000 after purchasing an additional 73,755 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 8.1% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,892,120 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,874,000 after purchasing an additional 142,319 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 209.2% in the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,384,619 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,888,000 after buying an additional 936,852 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Armistice Capital LLC raised its stake 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 worth $33,551,000 after buying an additional 229,324 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

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.