Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Central Garden & Pet from “Buy” to “Hold.” Despite mixed analyst actions, the stock retains a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $46.67.
• Central Garden & Pet reported quarterly EPS of $1.54, beating the $1.51 consensus estimate, while revenue of $882.36 million was slightly below expectations.
• CENTA shares opened at $39.06, down 3.8%, with a $2.44 billion market capitalization; institutional investors own approximately 50.82% of the company.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on CENTA. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $46.67.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 3.8%

Shares of CENTA opened at $39.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.57 and a beta of 0.59. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $25.97 and a one year high of $40.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 3.79. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $37.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $34.66.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.03. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.13% and a net margin of 5.39%.The company had revenue of $882.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CENTA. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 15.9% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 18,471 shares of the company's stock worth $605,000 after purchasing an additional 2,532 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 56.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 48,438 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,585,000 after purchasing an additional 17,556 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake 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 last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 179.2% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 180,907 shares of the company's stock worth $5,921,000 after purchasing an additional 116,101 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 263,518 shares of the company's stock worth $8,625,000 after purchasing an additional 12,749 shares during the period. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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