Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Share Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $33.86 and traded as high as $37.65. Central Garden & Pet shares last traded at $37.58, with a volume of 197,332 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CENT has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. CJS Securities raised Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.50.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 0.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 1.97. The firm has a market cap of $2.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.11 and a beta of 0.69. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $36.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.88.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $617.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $636.62 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 10.99%. Central Garden & Pet’s revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.21 earnings per share. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. Equities analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In related news, Director John Ranelli sold 3,668 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.50, for a total value of $126,546.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,287. This represents a 85.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.38, for a total value of $108,485.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 12,845 shares in the company, valued at $428,766.10. This trade represents a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 8.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CENT. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 20.1% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 1.5% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 25,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $897,000 after acquiring an additional 369 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 1.8% during the third quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 20,650 shares of the company’s stock worth $674,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 16.1% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,827 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 43,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,399,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares during the period. 16.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.