CENTA
Central Garden & Pet Company Consumer Defensive - Packaged Foods Investor Relations →
Central Garden & Pet Company (CENTA) closed at $34.08 as of 2026-02-02, trading 6.7% above its 200-week moving average of $31.93. The stock moved further from the line this week, up from -3.9% last week. With a 14-week RSI of 76, CENTA is in overbought territory.
Over the past 943 weeks of data, CENTA has crossed below its 200-week moving average 22 times. On average, these episodes lasted 15 weeks. Historically, investors who bought CENTA at the start of these episodes saw an average one-year return of +15.1%.
With a market cap of $2.2 billion, CENTA is a mid-cap stock. The company generates a free cash flow yield of 11.3%, which is notably high. Return on equity stands at 10.1%. The stock trades at 1.4x book value.
The company has been aggressively buying back shares, reducing its share count by 7.3% over the past three years.
Over the past 18.2 years, a hypothetical investment of $100 in CENTA would have grown to $773, compared to $702 for the S&P 500. That represents an annualized return of 11.9% vs 11.3% for the index — confirming CENTA as a market-beating investment and the kind of quality company where buying during 200-week moving average touches has historically been rewarded.
Free cash flow has been volatile over the past several years, making the quality of earnings harder to assess.
Growth of $100: CENTA vs S&P 500
Monthly data normalized to $100 at start. Vertical dashed lines mark 200-week MA touches.
What Happens After CENTA Crosses Below the Line?
Across 22 historical episodes, buying CENTA when it crossed below its 200-week moving average produced an average return of +15.2% after 12 months (median +14.0%), compared to +13.8% for the S&P 500 over the same periods. 65% of those episodes were profitable after one year. After 24 months, the average return was +41.5% vs +37.3% for the index.
Each line shows $100 invested at the moment CENTA crossed below its 200-week MA. Bold blue = stock average. Gray dashed = S&P 500 average over same periods.
Historical Touches
CENTA has crossed below its 200-week MA 22 times with an average 1-year return of +15.1% after recovery.
| Crossed Below | Recovered | Weeks | Max Depth | 1-Year Return | Return Since Touch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2008 | Mar 2009 | 62 | 69.3% | +56.4% | +967.7% |
| Nov 2009 | Nov 2009 | 1 | 1.5% | +11.3% | +423.3% |
| Aug 2011 | Oct 2011 | 10 | 14.9% | +44.5% | +468.0% |
| Nov 2011 | Nov 2011 | 1 | 3.8% | +46.4% | +438.6% |
| Dec 2011 | Dec 2011 | 1 | 0.3% | +16.5% | +416.4% |
| Dec 2012 | Dec 2012 | 1 | 0.8% | -35.2% | +343.3% |
| Jan 2013 | Jun 2014 | 74 | 35.3% | -35.9% | +350.3% |
| Jul 2014 | Jul 2014 | 3 | 1.5% | +24.6% | +375.4% |
| Aug 2014 | Aug 2014 | 2 | 3.9% | +39.0% | +395.3% |
| Sep 2014 | Dec 2014 | 14 | 17.4% | +69.5% | +397.7% |
| Feb 2019 | Feb 2019 | 1 | 0.8% | +7.1% | +58.2% |
| Mar 2019 | May 2020 | 61 | 26.6% | -2.0% | +57.9% |
| Sep 2022 | Oct 2022 | 5 | 5.8% | +19.7% | +21.0% |
| Dec 2022 | Jan 2023 | 4 | 4.8% | +20.8% | +22.3% |
| Mar 2023 | Mar 2023 | 2 | 0.7% | +19.1% | +14.2% |
| Apr 2023 | Jul 2023 | 15 | 8.2% | +22.0% | +20.4% |
| Oct 2023 | Dec 2023 | 6 | 8.7% | -6.0% | +10.6% |
| Jun 2024 | Jul 2024 | 5 | 3.1% | -7.2% | +4.6% |
| Sep 2024 | Nov 2024 | 12 | 13.5% | +2.5% | +2.3% |
| Dec 2024 | Jul 2025 | 28 | 10.8% | -11.1% | +2.3% |
| Aug 2025 | Aug 2025 | 2 | 5.9% | N/A | +11.0% |
| Sep 2025 | Ongoing | 22+ | 17.3% | Ongoing | +5.3% |
| Average | 15 | — | +15.1% | — |
Not financial advice. This is an educational tool. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Do your own research before making investment decisions.
Data as of Friday close, 2026-02-02