Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Share Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Central Garden & Pet shares moved above their 200-day moving average, trading as high as $43.83 and last changing hands at $43.75. The stock’s 200-day average was $38.31, signaling recent positive momentum.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leaning constructive: Canaccord Genuity lifted its price target to $54 and kept a buy rating, while Zacks cut its rating to hold. MarketBeat shows an average rating of Moderate Buy with an average target price of $54.00.
• The company recently delivered better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.29 versus $1.08 expected and revenue of $906.15 million, up 8.7% year over year. Central Garden & Pet also maintained solid balance-sheet metrics, including a current ratio of 3.45 and debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT - Get Free Report)'s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $38.31 and traded as high as $43.83. Central Garden & Pet shares last traded at $43.75, with a volume of 54,193 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings raised Central Garden & Pet from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research cut Central Garden & Pet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $54.00.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 1.8%

The firm's 50 day moving average is $41.89 and its 200 day moving average is $38.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 3.45 and a quick ratio of 2.16. The company has a market capitalization of $2.74 billion, a PE ratio of 15.91 and a beta of 0.60.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.21. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.42% and a return on equity of 11.55%. The business had revenue of $906.15 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $846.58 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.04 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,100,839 shares of the company's stock worth $35,942,000 after buying an additional 32,716 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 808,304 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,825,000 after buying an additional 4,178 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 385,957 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,409,000 after buying an additional 3,306 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 39.2% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 259,144 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,500,000 after acquiring an additional 72,977 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the first quarter valued at approximately $7,347,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 16.13% of the company's stock.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet NASDAQ: CENT is a leading North American specialty retailer, manufacturer and distributor serving the lawn and garden and pet supplies markets. The company operates through two primary segments: Pet and Garden. In the Pet segment, Central Garden & Pet offers a comprehensive range of products including pet food, treats, accessories, training products and habitat solutions for dogs, cats, birds, fish and small animals. The Garden segment encompasses a wide array of lawn, garden and outdoor living products, such as soils, fertilizers, planters, pest control solutions, landscape lighting and watering equipment.

Central Garden & Pet's product portfolio includes both proprietary and branded offerings.

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