Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Grows Holdings in Central Garden & Pet Company $CENT

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) by 84.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,107 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 17,457 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.06% of Central Garden & Pet worth $1,225,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CENT. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $255,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 39.2% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 259,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,500,000 after buying an additional 72,977 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 51,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,891,000 after buying an additional 3,199 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $7,347,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 25,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $897,000 after buying an additional 369 shares during the last quarter. 16.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $36.73 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.29 billion, a PE ratio of 14.99 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $37.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $34.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 1.97. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 12 month low of $28.77 and a 12 month high of $41.25.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $617.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $636.62 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 10.99%. The firm’s revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.21 earnings per share. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. Research analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CENT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research cut Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.00.

Insider Transactions at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $428,766.10. This trade represents a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director John Ranelli sold 3,668 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.50, for a total transaction of $126,546.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 646 shares in the company, valued at $22,287. This represents a 85.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 8.20% 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.