Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Hits New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $43.17 and last traded at $42.41, with a volume of 69518 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $42.85.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Zacks Research raised Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $54.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 1.2%

The company has a market capitalization of $2.65 billion, a PE ratio of 15.45 and a beta of 0.63. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $38.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $36.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 3.45.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $906.15 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $846.58 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.04 EPS. The business’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, equities research analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CENT. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 84.5% during the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 38,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,225,000 after purchasing an additional 17,457 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 63,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,037,000 after purchasing an additional 13,851 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 145.3% in the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 28,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $928,000 after buying an additional 16,825 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 154.5% in the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 12,477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $401,000 after buying an additional 7,574 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 3rd quarter worth $184,000. 16.13% of the stock is currently 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.