Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $40.75.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $28.00 target price (down from $31.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen cut Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Weiss Ratings raised Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Central Garden & Pet to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

NASDAQ:CENTA opened at $31.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 1.97. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $32.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.43. Central Garden & Pet has a 1-year low of $25.97 and a 1-year high of $37.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.87 and a beta of 0.58.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.10. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 10.99%. The company had revenue of $617.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $636.62 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Central Garden & Pet

In related news, Director John Ranelli sold 3,668 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.50, for a total transaction of $126,546.00. Following the sale, the director owned 646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,287. This trade represents a 85.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.38, for a total transaction of $108,485.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 12,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $428,766.10. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 20.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CENTA. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,804,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $169,437,000 after acquiring an additional 20,819 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 5.5% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,217,545 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,484,000 after purchasing an additional 115,706 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 3.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,174,296 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,034,000 after purchasing an additional 73,755 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 53.4% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,123,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,984,000 after purchasing an additional 738,860 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,924,354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,729,000 after purchasing an additional 54,930 shares during the period. 50.82% of the stock is 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.