New York State Teachers Retirement System Reduces Position in Central Garden & Pet Company $CENTA

New York State Teachers Retirement System decreased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 19.4% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 71,816 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,341 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $2,328,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CENTA. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 444.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 817 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 198.4% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 752 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 577.9% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,654 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 1,410 shares during the period. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of 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 upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 0.3%

CENTA opened at $37.53 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.35 billion, a PE ratio of 13.65 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $33.41. 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 Company has a 52 week low of $25.97 and a 52 week high of $39.99.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its earnings results 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%.Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. Analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Central Garden & Pet Profile

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.