Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) Stock Now Rated "Moderate Buy" by Sell-Side Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus is “Moderate Buy” for Central Garden & Pet, with three buy ratings, one strong buy, one hold and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $46.67, above the reported share price of $34.06.
• The company exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.54 in EPS versus the $1.51 consensus, while revenue of $882.36 million was slightly below estimates. Analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $2.98.
• Central Garden & Pet has a $2.13 billion market capitalization, and institutional investors own 50.82% of its shares. An insider recently sold 5,000 shares for $192,500, reducing his position by 7.18%.

Shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $46.67.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. 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 research note on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced 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 report on Wednesday, June 17th. 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $34.06 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $2.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.71 and a beta of 0.59. The stock's 50-day moving average is $37.07 and its 200-day moving average is $35.63. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $25.97 and a one year high of $40.79.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $882.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, insider John Walker, III sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.50, for a total value of $192,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 64,679 shares in the company, valued at $2,490,141.50. This trade represents a 7.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CENTA. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 198.4% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,131 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 752 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the second quarter valued at $44,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 577.9% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,654 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 1,410 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 96.3% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,855 shares of the company's stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 910 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 22.6% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,295 shares of the company's stock worth $128,000 after acquiring an additional 608 shares in the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

Central Garden & Pet Company is a marketer and manufacturer of branded products for the pet and lawn-and-garden markets. The company sells its products through retailers, distributors, e-commerce channels and other outlets, serving consumers, pet owners and gardening customers primarily in the United States.

Its pet portfolio includes products for dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles, small animals and other companion animals. Offerings include pet food, treats, toys, chews, bedding, habitats, aquatics products, waste-management products and animal health and wellness items.

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