Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the seven analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $40.75.

CENTA has been the subject of a number of research reports. CJS Securities raised shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $28.00 price objective (down from $31.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Central Garden & Pet to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $32.28 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $31.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.53. Central Garden & Pet has a 12 month low of $25.97 and a 12 month high of $37.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.18 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 1.97.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm 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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Director John Ranelli sold 3,668 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.50, for a total transaction of $126,546.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,287. This represents a 85.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.38, for a total transaction of $108,485.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 12,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $428,766.10. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 20.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 3.9% during the second quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 8,088 shares of the company’s stock worth $253,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Orchard Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Orchard Capital Management LLC now owns 11,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 40.0% in the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 14,668 shares of the company’s stock worth $433,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares during the period. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 164.0% during the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 858 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the period. 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.