Central Garden & Pet Company (CENTA) – What Are Investment Firms Saying About This Stock?

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

Several brokerages have commented on CENTA. Weiss Ratings downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 3.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:CENTA opened at $37.10 on Wednesday. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $27.39 and a 1 year high of $40.79. The company has a market capitalization of $2.32 billion, a PE ratio of 13.84 and a beta of 0.63. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $35.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 3.79 and a quick ratio of 2.67.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $882.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.13% and a net margin of 5.39%. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS. Analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, insider John Walker, III sold 5,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.50, for a total transaction of $192,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 28.6% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $166,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 11.7% in the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 46,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,546,000 after buying an additional 4,835 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 2,301.5% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,609 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 1,542 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 24.8% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $138,000 after acquiring an additional 816 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 342.7% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,351 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 1,820 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Company is a manufacturer and distributor of products for the pet and garden markets. The company offers supplies for dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles and other companion animals, as well as products for lawn and garden care, pest control, wild bird feeding and outdoor living.

Its portfolio includes well-known brands such as Nylabone, Kaytee, Aqueon, Zilla, Four Paws, K&H Pet Products, Pennington, Amdro, Sevin, Lilly Miller, Ironite and Ferry-Morse. Products are sold through mass merchants, warehouse clubs, home improvement stores, specialty retailers, independent retailers and e-commerce channels.

Central Garden & Pet serves customers primarily in the United States and also has operations and sales activities in Canada.