Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Stock Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) moved above its 200-day moving average, trading as high as $44.59 and last changing hands at $44.50, suggesting improved short-term momentum.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but still constructive overall: the stock carries a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $54.00, though Zacks recently downgraded it to hold.
• The company recently beat earnings expectations, reporting $1.29 EPS on $906.15 million in revenue, and raised FY2026 guidance to 2.700 EPS.

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT - Get Free Report) passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $37.87 and traded as high as $44.59. Central Garden & Pet shares last traded at $44.50, with a volume of 91,259 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

The business's fifty day moving average price is $41.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.87. The company has a market capitalization of $2.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.18 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 3.45, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - 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. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.04 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CENT. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 632.3% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 974 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 841 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 119.9% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,315 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 1,532.7% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,845 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 1,732 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 152.3% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,920 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 1,159 shares during the last quarter. 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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