Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the six analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $45.00.

A number of research firms have weighed in on CENTA. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 15th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. LSV Asset Management increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 53.4% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,123,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,984,000 after purchasing an additional 738,860 shares in the last quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter valued at $13,749,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 181.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 549,355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,222,000 after purchasing an additional 354,016 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 168.5% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 292,197 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,529,000 after purchasing an additional 183,363 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 1,109.1% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 196,777 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,811,000 after purchasing an additional 180,503 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 4.3%

NASDAQ CENTA opened at $39.54 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 3.45, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $35.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $32.75. The company has a market capitalization of $2.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.38 and a beta of 0.59. Central Garden & Pet has a 1-year low of $25.97 and a 1-year high of $39.73.

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

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.