Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms also recently commented on CENT. CJS Securities raised Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.50.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 1.9%

NASDAQ CENT traded up $0.61 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $33.17. 4,223 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 60,244. The company has a market capitalization of $2.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.00 and a beta of 0.70. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $28.77 and a one year high of $41.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 2.33 and a current ratio of 3.67. The company’s 50-day moving average is $32.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.28.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The company reported ($0.09) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.20) by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $678.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $657.86 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.17% and a net margin of 5.20%.The company’s revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.18) EPS. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,100,839 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,942,000 after acquiring an additional 32,716 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 39.2% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 259,144 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,500,000 after purchasing an additional 72,977 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 9.4% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 258,868 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,107,000 after purchasing an additional 22,187 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the first quarter valued at about $7,347,000. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 1.3% during the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 178,915 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,842,000 after purchasing an additional 2,375 shares during the period. 16.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ: CENT) is a leading North American specialty retailer, manufacturer and distributor serving the lawn and garden and pet supplies markets. The company operates through two primary segments: Pet and Garden. In the Pet segment, Central Garden & Pet offers a comprehensive range of products including pet food, treats, accessories, training products and habitat solutions for dogs, cats, birds, fish and small animals. The Garden segment encompasses a wide array of lawn, garden and outdoor living products, such as soils, fertilizers, planters, pest control solutions, landscape lighting and watering equipment.

Central Garden & Pet’s product portfolio includes both proprietary and branded offerings.