Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $39.99 and last traded at $38.8230, with a volume of 6517 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $38.77.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CENTA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on 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. Zacks Research upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.00.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $35.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 3.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.97 and a beta of 0.57.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $906.15 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $846.58 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CENTA. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 444.0% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 817 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 198.4% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 752 shares during the period. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 577.9% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,654 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,410 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

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.