Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $40.75.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CENTA. Weiss Ratings raised Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $28.00 price target (down previously from $31.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Friday, January 16th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, CJS Securities upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

CENTA stock opened at $33.49 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.67 and a beta of 0.67. Central Garden & Pet has a 52 week low of $25.97 and a 52 week high of $37.35. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $30.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $30.51. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.10. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 10.99%. The company had revenue of $617.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $636.62 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.38, for a total transaction of $108,485.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 12,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $428,766.10. This trade represents a 20.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in 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 during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in 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 valued at $996,000 after purchasing an additional 743 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 263,518 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,625,000 after purchasing an additional 12,749 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.