<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new stake in shares of  Central Garden &amp; Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 36,685 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,148,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Central Garden &amp; Pet at the end of the most recent reporting period.</p><ul><li>3 Small-Cap Stocks on the Way to Bigger and Better Days</li></ul><p>A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of CENTA. State Street Corp increased its stake in  Central Garden &amp; Pet by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,174,296 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,034,000 after purchasing an additional 73,755 shares in the last quarter.  American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of  Central Garden &amp; Pet by 10.6% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,749,801 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,751,000 after buying an additional 167,901 shares during the last quarter.  Armistice Capital LLC increased its position in shares of  Central Garden &amp; Pet by 28.8% during the first quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 1,025,085 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,551,000 after acquiring an additional 229,324 shares in the last quarter.  Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in  Central Garden &amp; Pet by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 941,185 shares of the company's stock worth $29,454,000 after acquiring an additional 30,763 shares during the last quarter.  Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in  Central Garden &amp; Pet by 13.9% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 861,479 shares of the company's stock worth $26,956,000 after acquiring an additional 105,209 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own  50.82% of the company's stock. </p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>Central Garden &amp; Pet</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><h2>Analyst Ratings Changes</h2><p>Several analysts have commented on CENTA shares. Zacks Research downgraded Central Garden &amp; Pet from a &#34;strong-buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. CJS Securities raised Central Garden &amp; Pet to a &#34;strong-buy&#34; rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Central Garden &amp; Pet from a &#34;strong-buy&#34; rating to a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. KeyCorp  reissued an &#34;overweight&#34; rating on shares of Central Garden &amp; Pet in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Central Garden &amp; Pet from a &#34;sell (d+)&#34; rating to a &#34;hold (c-)&#34; rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. One investment analyst  has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and five have assigned  a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and a consensus target price of $41.50.</p><p><b>Read Our Latest Analysis on CENTA</b></p><h2>Central Garden &amp; Pet Stock Performance</h2><p>Shares of CENTA opened at $29.06 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.40 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 3.67 and a quick ratio of 2.33. Central Garden &amp; Pet Company has a one year low of $25.97 and a one year high of $37.35. The business has a fifty day moving average of $29.01 and a 200 day moving average of $31.20. </p><p>Central Garden &amp; Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The company reported ($0.09) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.20) by $0.11. Central Garden &amp; Pet had a return on equity of 11.17% and a net margin of 5.20%.The business had revenue of $678.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $657.86 million. Central Garden &amp; Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS.  As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that  Central Garden &amp; Pet Company will post 2.38 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>About Central Garden &amp; Pet</h2> (Free Report)<p>Central Garden &amp; 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 &amp; Pet has been publicly traded since 2003.  </p><p>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.</p><h2>Further Reading</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Central Garden &amp; Pet</li><li>What is a Microcap Stock? Everything You Need to Know </li><li>These 3 Banks Are Rallying Into Year-End, But Will It Continue?</li><li>What Are the FAANG Stocks and Are They Good Investments?</li><li>3 Surging Stocks Just Got the Ultimate Stamp of Approval From the S&amp;P 500</li><li>How to Invest in Small Cap Stocks </li><li>This ETF Caught a Major Tailwind After the Fed’s Rate Cut</li></ul><p><strong>Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CENTA?</strong> Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Central Garden &amp; Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report).</p><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9Q0VOVEE?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9Q0VOVEE"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Central Garden &amp; Pet Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Central Garden &amp; Pet, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Central Garden &amp; Pet wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Central Garden &amp; Pet currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

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<p>Squarepoint Ops LLC invested $1.15 million in Central Garden & Pet Company, acquiring 36,685 shares. Other hedge funds also increased their stakes. Analysts have mixed ratings on CENTA, with a consensus target price of $41.50. The stock opened at $29.06, with a market cap of $1.81 billion. Central Garden & Pet reported better-than-expected earnings, with a net margin of 5.20% and revenue of $678 million.</p>

Squarepoint Ops LLC Invests $1.15 Million in Central Garden & Pet Company $CENTA