Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Central Garden & Pet received a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" from six research firms, with an average 12-month price target of $45.00.
• Recent analyst moves were mixed: Zacks upgraded the stock to strong-buy, Wall Street Zen raised it to buy, while JPMorgan kept an underweight rating and trimmed its target price.
• The company recently beat earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $1.29 EPS versus $1.08 expected and revenue of $906.15 million versus $846.58 million expected.

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the six research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation, two have issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $45.00.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Zacks Research raised Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $37.53 on Monday. Central Garden & Pet has a 52 week low of $25.97 and a 52 week high of $39.99. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $2.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.65 and a beta of 0.57. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.44.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 EPS 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 for 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, research analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.

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