Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $35.85 and traded as high as $40.62. Central Garden & Pet shares last traded at $39.94, with a volume of 48,796 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on CENT. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $54.00.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 0.5%

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $37.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $35.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.52 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.21. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 5.42%.The company had revenue of $906.15 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $846.58 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.04 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 84.5% during the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 38,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,225,000 after purchasing an additional 17,457 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 145.3% in the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 28,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $928,000 after purchasing an additional 16,825 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 28.0% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 63,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,037,000 after purchasing an additional 13,851 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 154.5% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 12,477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 7,574 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter worth $246,000. Institutional investors own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

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.