Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Stock Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT)’s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $38.31 and traded as high as $43.83. Central Garden & Pet shares last traded at $43.75, with a volume of 54,193 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on CENT shares. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $54.00.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $2.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.91 and a beta of 0.60. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $41.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.31.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 5.42% and a return on equity of 11.55%. The company had revenue of $906.15 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $846.58 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.04 EPS. Central Garden & Pet’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 632.3% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 974 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 841 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 119.9% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 717 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1,532.7% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 1,732 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 152.3% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 1,159 shares during the last quarter. 16.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.