Bridgeway Capital Management LLC Reduces Holdings in Central Garden & Pet Company $CENTA

Bridgeway Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 15.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 484,347 shares of the company’s stock after selling 89,297 shares during the quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $14,138,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Guggenheim Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter worth approximately $251,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 190,712 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,568,000 after buying an additional 12,366 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 22.8% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 49,754 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,452,000 after buying an additional 9,238 shares during the last quarter. &PARTNERS purchased a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter worth approximately $311,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CENTA opened at $36.95 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 3.45 and a quick ratio of 2.16. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 1-year low of $25.97 and a 1-year high of $38.76. The company has a market capitalization of $2.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $34.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $32.49.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.21. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.42% and a return on equity of 11.55%. The business had revenue of $906.15 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $846.58 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. Research analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on CENTA. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Zacks Research raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Two equities 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.00.

About Central Garden & Pet

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.