Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Shares Down 6.1% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) dropped 6.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $38.08 and last traded at $38.1350. 125,793 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 59% from the average daily volume of 310,210 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.60.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Zacks Research cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price target 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 raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $46.67.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.57 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 3.79.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.03. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.13% and a net margin of 5.39%.The company had revenue of $882.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the third quarter worth about $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 444.0% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,001 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 817 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 198.4% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 752 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 1,410 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.