Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Stock Price Down 6.3% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Central Garden & Pet shares fell 6.3% to about $43.63 during Friday’s trading, despite trading near their 50-day moving average.
• The company narrowly exceeded quarterly expectations with EPS of $1.54 and revenue of $883.72 million, but revenue declined 8.2% year over year and earnings were slightly below the prior-year period.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with an average “Buy” rating and a $54 consensus price target, while the company projects fiscal 2026 EPS of at least $2.85.

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded down 6.3% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $43.64 and last traded at $43.63. 76,406 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 3% from the average session volume of 78,975 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.54.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on CENT shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Tuesday. 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 report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $54.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 6.3%

The company has a current ratio of 3.45, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $42.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.08. The firm has a market cap of $2.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.28 and a beta of 0.61.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.38% and a net margin of 5.39%.The company had revenue of $883.72 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $882.96 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.56 EPS. Central Garden & Pet's quarterly revenue was down 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 632.3% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 974 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 841 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Central Garden & Pet in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 119.9% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake 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 worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 1,732 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 152.3% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,920 shares of the company's stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 1,159 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 16.13% of the company's stock.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

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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