Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) Stock Has Average Target Price of $46.67

Shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $46.67.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of CENTA opened at $38.80 on Wednesday. Central Garden & Pet has a 12 month low of $27.39 and a 12 month high of $40.79. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.93.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $882.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, insider John Walker, III sold 5,000 shares of the company’s 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 owned 64,679 shares in the company, valued at $2,490,141.50. This represents a 7.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 20.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the third quarter valued at $368,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 28.6% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $166,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 11.7% in the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 46,136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,546,000 after acquiring an additional 4,835 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 2,301.5% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,609 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,542 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 24.8% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $138,000 after acquiring an additional 816 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

Central Garden & Pet Company is a manufacturer and distributor of products for the pet and garden markets. The company offers supplies for dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles and other companion animals, as well as products for lawn and garden care, pest control, wild bird feeding and outdoor living.

Its portfolio includes well-known brands such as Nylabone, Kaytee, Aqueon, Zilla, Four Paws, K&H Pet Products, Pennington, Amdro, Sevin, Lilly Miller, Ironite and Ferry-Morse. Products are sold through mass merchants, warehouse clubs, home improvement stores, specialty retailers, independent retailers and e-commerce channels.

Central Garden & Pet serves customers primarily in the United States and also has operations and sales activities in Canada.