Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on CENT. CJS Securities upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 target price 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 note on Monday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.50.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of CENT stock traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $33.10. 4,375 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 54,606. The company has a market cap of $2.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.98 and a beta of 0.70. Central Garden & Pet has a fifty-two week low of $28.77 and a fifty-two week high of $41.25. The company has a current ratio of 3.67, a quick ratio of 2.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $32.58 and its 200-day moving average is $34.28.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. ABC Arbitrage SA grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 25.7% during the 2nd quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA now owns 18,102 shares of the company’s stock valued at $637,000 after purchasing an additional 3,705 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 6.1% during the second quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 30,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,065,000 after acquiring an additional 1,739 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 362.9% during the second quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 26,340 shares of the company’s stock worth $927,000 after acquiring an additional 20,650 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Central Garden & Pet in the 2nd quarter valued at about $713,000. 16.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.