Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Given “Underweight” Rating at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed their underweight rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) in a research note published on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a $28.00 price target on the stock, down from their prior price target of $31.00.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Central Garden & Pet to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. CJS Securities raised Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.75.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $29.28 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $29.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.48 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 2.33, a current ratio of 3.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Central Garden & Pet has a 52 week low of $25.97 and a 52 week high of $37.35.

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

Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,217,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,484,000 after purchasing an additional 115,706 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,174,296 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,034,000 after acquiring an additional 73,755 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,924,354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,729,000 after purchasing an additional 54,930 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 8.1% during the 3rd 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. Finally, LSV Asset Management boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 209.2% in the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,384,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,888,000 after purchasing an additional 936,852 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

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.