Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Stock Price Down 6.1% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Central Garden & Pet shares fell 6.1% to about $38.14 in Friday’s trading, with volume 59% below its average.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $46.67, although individual ratings and targets were mixed.
• The company slightly exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.54 in EPS versus the $1.51 consensus, while institutional investors own approximately 50.8% of outstanding shares.

Shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) traded down 6.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $38.08 and last traded at $38.1350. 125,793 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 59% from the average daily volume of 310,210 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.60.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on CENTA. Weiss Ratings raised Central Garden & Pet from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. 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 dropped their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $46.67.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

The stock's 50-day moving average is $37.60 and its 200 day moving average is $34.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 3.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.39 billion, a PE ratio of 14.23 and a beta of 0.59.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.03. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 11.38%. The firm 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. As a group, equities analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CENTA. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,532 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 56.8% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 48,438 shares of the company's stock worth $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% in 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 period. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 179.2% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 180,907 shares of the company's stock valued at $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% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 263,518 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,625,000 after buying an additional 12,749 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company's stock.

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.

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