Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $29.08, but opened at $30.07. Central Garden & Pet shares last traded at $30.1490, with a volume of 6,414 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on CENTA. Zacks Research downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $28.00 price target (down previously from $31.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Friday, January 16th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.75.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.03 and a beta of 0.65. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $29.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 2.33 and a current ratio of 3.67.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The company reported ($0.09) earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm 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, sell-side analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.38 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 164.0% during the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 858 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 444.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 817 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 152.1% in the second quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 733 shares during the period. Finally, EMC Capital Management acquired a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the second quarter worth about $87,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.