Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately bullish: Six brokerages have a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating on Central Garden & Pet, with an average 12-month price target of approximately $46.67.
• Recent earnings slightly beat expectations: The company reported quarterly EPS of $1.54 versus the $1.51 consensus estimate, while revenue of $882.36 million was roughly in line with forecasts.
• Shares have traded near recent highs: CENTA opened at $37.21, compared with a 12-month range of $25.97 to $40.79; insiders own 20.28% of the stock and institutional investors hold 50.82%.

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has assigned a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $46.6667.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on CENTA. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price objective 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. Wall Street Zen lowered Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of CENTA opened at $37.21 on Tuesday. Central Garden & Pet has a 12 month low of $25.97 and a 12 month high of $40.79. The stock's 50-day moving average is $38.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 3.79 and a quick ratio of 2.67. The stock has a market cap of $2.33 billion, a PE ratio of 13.88 and a beta of 0.59.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $882.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.13% and a net margin of 5.39%.Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 5,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.50, for a total transaction of $192,500.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 64,679 shares in the company, valued at $2,490,141.50. The trade was a 7.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1.4% during the first quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 33,050 shares of the company's stock worth $1,071,000 after buying an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 22.6% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,295 shares of the company's stock valued at $128,000 after acquiring an additional 608 shares in the last quarter. Aristides Capital LLC raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 8.0% in the third quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 8,436 shares of the company's stock valued at $249,000 after acquiring an additional 623 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 30,421 shares of the company's stock valued at $996,000 after acquiring an additional 743 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 198.4% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,131 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 752 shares during the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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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