Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Reaches New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $39.99 and last traded at $38.8230, with a volume of 6517 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $38.77.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Zacks Research raised Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 1.0%

The firm’s fifty day moving average is $35.55 and its 200-day moving average is $33.06. The company has a market capitalization of $2.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.96 and a beta of 0.57. 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:CENTA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $906.15 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $846.58 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.42% and a return on equity of 11.55%. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,804,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,437,000 after purchasing an additional 20,819 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,217,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,484,000 after buying an additional 115,706 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,174,296 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,034,000 after buying an additional 73,755 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management boosted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 53.4% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,123,479 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,984,000 after buying an additional 738,860 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,924,354 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,729,000 after acquiring an additional 54,930 shares during the last quarter. 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.