Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Shares Cross Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) shares passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $37.35 and traded as high as $43.41. Central Garden & Pet shares last traded at $42.79, with a volume of 88,455 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CENT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $54.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 0.1%

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 $2.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.56 and a beta of 0.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $40.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.35.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $906.15 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $846.58 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 5.42%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.04 earnings per share. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. Research analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CENT. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 1st quarter valued at about $7,347,000. Citadel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 120.9% in the third quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 156,596 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,113,000 after acquiring an additional 85,706 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 39.2% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 259,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,500,000 after acquiring an additional 72,977 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 59.5% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 181,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,684,000 after acquiring an additional 67,800 shares during the period. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 37.7% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 149,156 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,247,000 after purchasing an additional 40,803 shares during the last quarter. 16.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.