Weiss Asset Management LP Invests $809,000 in Central Garden & Pet Company $CENTA

Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 24,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $809,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CENTA. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the third quarter worth $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 444.0% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,001 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 817 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 198.4% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 752 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 577.9% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,654 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 1,410 shares during the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Zacks Research cut Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $46.67.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CENTA opened at $38.27 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.92 and a beta of 0.57. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 12 month low of $25.97 and a 12 month high of $39.99. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $36.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $34.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 3.45 and a quick ratio of 2.16.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $906.15 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $846.58 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. Analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

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.