Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $29.08, but opened at $30.07. Central Garden & Pet shares last traded at $30.1490, with a volume of 6,414 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $28.00 price target (down from $31.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Friday, January 16th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, CJS Securities raised Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.75.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.87 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 3.67 and a quick ratio of 2.33. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $29.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $30.77.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 24th. The company reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.20) by $0.11. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.20% and a return on equity of 11.17%. The company had revenue of $678.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $657.86 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 15.9% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 18,471 shares of the company’s stock valued at $605,000 after acquiring an additional 2,532 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 56.8% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 48,438 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,585,000 after purchasing an additional 17,556 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 30,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $996,000 after purchasing an additional 743 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 179.2% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 180,907 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,921,000 after purchasing an additional 116,101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 263,518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,625,000 after purchasing an additional 12,749 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

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.