Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Sets New 52-Week High Following Earnings Beat

Key Points

• Central Garden & Pet beat earnings expectations, reporting quarterly EPS of $1.54 versus the $1.51 consensus estimate. Revenue totaled $882.36 million, narrowly below analysts’ $882.96 million forecast, while fiscal 2026 EPS guidance was set at 2.850.
• The stock reached a new 52-week high of $40.15 and was last up about 4.8% at $39.5650. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $46.67, though ratings range from Strong Buy to Sell.
• Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company, with LSV Asset Management notably increasing its stake by 53.4%; Vanguard and State Street also added to their positions.

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as high as $40.15 and last traded at $39.5650, with a volume of 17303 shares. The stock had previously closed at $38.55.

The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.03. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 5.42%.The business had revenue of $882.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on CENTA shares. Zacks Research cut Central Garden & Pet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group decreased 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 note on Wednesday, June 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $46.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,804,612 shares of the company's stock valued at $169,437,000 after purchasing an additional 20,819 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 3.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,174,296 shares of the company's stock worth $68,034,000 after buying an additional 73,755 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 53.4% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,123,479 shares of the company's stock worth $61,984,000 after buying an additional 738,860 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,038,370 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,317,000 after buying an additional 17,263 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,012,360 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,821,000 after buying an additional 47,980 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company's stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 4.8%

The stock has a market cap of $2.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.69 and a beta of 0.59. 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 fifty day moving average is $37.48 and its 200 day moving average is $34.55.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source