Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) Stock Now Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Brokerages

Shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the six analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $46.67.

CENTA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 1.5%

NASDAQ CENTA opened at $34.28 on Friday. Central Garden & Pet has a 1-year low of $25.97 and a 1-year high of $40.79. The company has a current ratio of 3.79, a quick ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $36.65 and a 200-day moving average of $35.70. The firm has a market cap of $2.15 billion, a PE ratio of 12.79 and a beta of 0.63.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.03. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.13% and a net margin of 5.39%.The business had revenue of $882.36 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.98 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, insider John Walker, III sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.50, for a total transaction of $192,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 64,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,490,141.50. The trade was a 7.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Invenomic Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter worth about $13,749,000. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,207,738 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,594,000 after acquiring an additional 122,327 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,451,000. Deltroit Asset Management UK LLP bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,548,000. Finally, Brandes Investment Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,490,000. 50.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENTA) is a marketer and manufacturer of products for the pet and lawn-and-garden industries. The company sells a broad portfolio of branded and private-label products through retailers, distributors, e-commerce channels and other outlets.

Its pet segment offers food, treats, toys, bedding, habitats, aquatics products, grooming supplies, training products and other accessories for dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles and small animals. Its brands include Nylabone, Kaytee, Amdro, Adams, Four Paws, K&H Pet Products, Comfort Zone, Chuckit! and Nature’s Miracle, among others.

Central Garden & Pet’s garden business provides lawn and garden care products, including grass seed, fertilizers, insect and weed control products, garden supplies, decorative products and live goods.