Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Shares Cross Above 200-Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Key Points

• Stock technical breakout: Central Garden & Pet's shares crossed above their 200-day moving average (200-day = $33.86), trading as high as $37.65 and last at $37.58 on volume of 197,332 shares.
• Analyst sentiment: The consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $42.50, reflecting mixed recent analyst actions (upgrades and downgrades).
• Mixed fundamentals and insider activity: The company posted an EPS beat ($0.21 vs. $0.11 expected) while revenue fell 5.9% year-over-year, and directors have recently sold shares even as several hedge funds increased their stakes.

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT - Get Free Report)'s stock price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $33.86 and traded as high as $37.65. Central Garden & Pet shares last traded at $37.58, with a volume of 197,332 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on CENT. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Zacks Research cut Central Garden & Pet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, CJS Securities upgraded Central Garden & Pet to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $42.50.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.34 and a beta of 0.69. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $36.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $33.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $636.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.21 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet Company 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 Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.38, for a total value of $108,485.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 12,845 shares of the company's stock, valued at $428,766.10. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John Ranelli sold 3,668 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.50, for a total value of $126,546.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 646 shares in the company, valued at $22,287. This trade represents a 85.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 8.20% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the 1st quarter worth approximately $7,347,000. Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 120.9% during the third quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 156,596 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,113,000 after purchasing an additional 85,706 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 39.2% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 259,144 shares of the company's stock worth $9,500,000 after purchasing an additional 72,977 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 37.7% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 149,156 shares of the company's stock worth $5,247,000 after purchasing an additional 40,803 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 107.3% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 76,332 shares of the company's stock worth $2,454,000 after buying an additional 39,518 shares during the period. 16.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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