JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Stock Price

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) had its target price cut by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $33.00 to $32.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “underweight” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 10.00% from the company’s previous close.

CENTA has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Central Garden & Pet to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $41.75.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 4.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:CENTA traded up $1.58 during trading on Friday, reaching $35.56. 59,333 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 282,561. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $33.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.56. The firm has a market cap of $2.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.51 and a beta of 0.58. Central Garden & Pet has a 1-year low of $25.97 and a 1-year high of $37.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.10. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 10.99%. The business had revenue of $617.37 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $636.62 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. Analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.38, for a total transaction of $108,485.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 12,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $428,766.10. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John Ranelli sold 3,668 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.50, for a total transaction of $126,546.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 646 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,287. This represents a 85.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 20.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 77.0% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 28,722 shares of the company’s stock worth $931,000 after acquiring an additional 12,499 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 42,945 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,255,000 after purchasing an additional 9,271 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 577.9% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,654 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,410 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 19.8% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 16,233 shares of the company’s stock worth $474,000 after purchasing an additional 2,679 shares during the period. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 41,943 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,286,000 after purchasing an additional 4,684 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

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.