Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) Short Interest Update

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 322,840 shares, an increase of 33.5% from the January 29th total of 241,887 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 85,126 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.8 days. Currently, 0.6% of the company’s shares are short sold. Currently, 0.6% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 85,126 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.8 days.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of CENT stock traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $39.09. 31,502 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 72,734. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $34.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $33.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 1.97. The firm has a market cap of $2.43 billion, a PE ratio of 15.96 and a beta of 0.69. Central Garden & Pet has a 1-year low of $28.77 and a 1-year high of $41.25.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $617.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $636.62 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 10.99%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.21 earnings per share. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CENT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Zacks Research cut Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, CJS Securities raised Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.50.

Insider Activity at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, Director John Ranelli sold 3,668 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.50, for a total transaction of $126,546.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,287. The trade was a 85.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.38, for a total transaction of $108,485.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 12,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $428,766.10. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 8.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 1st quarter valued at $255,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 72,977 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 6.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 51,591 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,891,000 after purchasing an additional 3,199 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the first quarter worth about $7,347,000. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 222.4% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 974 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

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.