Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Share Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Posted by Stanley Muller on Jul 25th, 2026

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT – Get Free Report)’s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $38.31 and traded as high as $43.83. Central Garden & Pet shares last traded at $43.75, with a volume of 54,193 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $54.00.

View Our Latest Research Report on Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $41.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $38.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 3.45 and a quick ratio of 2.16. The company has a market capitalization of $2.74 billion, a PE ratio of 15.91 and a beta of 0.60.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet in the first quarter worth about $255,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 39.2% during 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 in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $1,891,000 after purchasing an additional 3,199 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the first quarter valued at approximately $7,347,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 25,503 shares of the company’s stock worth $897,000 after purchasing an additional 369 shares in the last quarter. 16.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.