22,600 Shares in Central Garden & Pet Company $CENTA Purchased by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 22,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $733,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OP Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the first quarter valued at $1,324,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 77.0% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 28,722 shares of the company’s stock worth $931,000 after acquiring an additional 12,499 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 42,945 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,255,000 after acquiring an additional 9,271 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 19.8% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 16,233 shares of the company’s stock valued at $474,000 after acquiring an additional 2,679 shares during the period. 50.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

CENTA stock traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $37.62. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 7,103 shares, compared to its average volume of 315,820. The company has a current ratio of 3.45, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company’s 50 day moving average is $35.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.22. The stock has a market cap of $2.35 billion, a PE ratio of 13.68 and a beta of 0.57. Central Garden & Pet Company has a fifty-two week low of $25.97 and a fifty-two week high of $39.99.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $906.15 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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. Equities research analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CENTA. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Zacks Research raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $45.00.

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.