Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on CENT. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note on Monday, December 29th. CJS Securities upgraded Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued 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 price target of $42.50.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

CENT stock opened at $33.09 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $32.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.28. Central Garden & Pet has a 52-week low of $28.77 and a 52-week high of $41.25. The company has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a PE ratio of 12.98 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 2.33, a current ratio of 3.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The company reported ($0.09) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.20) by $0.11. The business had revenue of $678.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $657.86 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.20% and a return on equity of 11.17%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.18) earnings per share. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. Analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CENT. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the 1st quarter valued at $255,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 39.2% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 259,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,500,000 after purchasing an additional 72,977 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 6.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 51,591 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,891,000 after purchasing an additional 3,199 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the first quarter worth about $7,347,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 6.1% during the second quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 30,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,065,000 after buying an additional 1,739 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

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.