Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $45.00.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut 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. Finally, Zacks Research raised Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 3.2% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 259,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,405,000 after buying an additional 8,088 shares during the period. Amundi acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the first quarter valued at $239,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.0% in the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,012,360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,821,000 after buying an additional 47,980 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 69.7% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 76,990 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,496,000 after buying an additional 31,622 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 67.9% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 121,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,944,000 after buying an additional 49,201 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

NASDAQ:CENTA opened at $36.95 on Thursday. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $25.97 and a one year high of $38.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 3.45. The stock has a market cap of $2.31 billion, a PE ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $34.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.49.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $906.15 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $846.58 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 5.42%.Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal 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.