Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Upgraded by Zacks Research to “Strong-Buy” Rating

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) was upgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

CENT has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $54.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CENT opened at $42.85 on Thursday. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $28.77 and a 1 year high of $43.17. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $38.32 and a 200-day moving average of $36.12. The company has a current ratio of 3.45, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.58 and a beta of 0.63.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.21. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 5.42%.The business had revenue of $906.15 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $846.58 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.04 EPS. Central Garden & Pet’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CENT. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 632.3% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 974 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 841 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 1,532.7% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 1,732 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 152.3% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,920 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 1,159 shares during the period. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd acquired a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the 3rd quarter valued at about $94,000. 16.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ: CENT) is a leading North American specialty retailer, manufacturer and distributor serving the lawn and garden and pet supplies markets. The company operates through two primary segments: Pet and Garden. In the Pet segment, Central Garden & Pet offers a comprehensive range of products including pet food, treats, accessories, training products and habitat solutions for dogs, cats, birds, fish and small animals. The Garden segment encompasses a wide array of lawn, garden and outdoor living products, such as soils, fertilizers, planters, pest control solutions, landscape lighting and watering equipment.

Central Garden & Pet’s product portfolio includes both proprietary and branded offerings.