Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $45.00.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CENTA. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 259,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,405,000 after purchasing an additional 8,088 shares during the period. Amundi acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 1st quarter worth approximately $239,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,012,360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,821,000 after buying an additional 47,980 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 69.7% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 76,990 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,496,000 after buying an additional 31,622 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 67.9% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 121,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,944,000 after buying an additional 49,201 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ CENTA opened at $36.95 on Thursday. Central Garden & Pet has a twelve month low of $25.97 and a twelve month high of $38.76. 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 has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $32.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.31 billion, a PE ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 0.59.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued 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. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 5.42%.The business had revenue of $906.15 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $846.58 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current 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.