Principal Financial Group Inc. Reduces Stake in Central Garden & Pet Company $CENTA

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 6.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 264,847 shares of the company’s stock after selling 18,688 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.43% of Central Garden & Pet worth $8,586,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aristides Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 8.0% in the third quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 8,436 shares of the company’s stock valued at $249,000 after buying an additional 623 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 30,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $996,000 after buying an additional 743 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 752 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 50,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,581,000 after acquiring an additional 771 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 444.0% in 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 last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on CENTA shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Zacks Research lowered Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $46.67.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

NASDAQ:CENTA opened at $38.45 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $2.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.98 and a beta of 0.57. 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 $36.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.05. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 12-month low of $25.97 and a 12-month high of $39.99.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $906.15 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $846.58 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.42% and a return on equity of 11.55%. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. Research analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Central Garden & Pet Company 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.