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

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) 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.