Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.700- for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 2.840. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.00.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 2.1%

CENT stock traded up $0.74 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $36.83. The company had a trading volume of 62,025 shares, compared to its average volume of 53,759. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.03 and a beta of 0.62. Central Garden & Pet has a 52-week low of $28.77 and a 52-week high of $41.25. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $37.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 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 the consensus estimate of $846.58 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 10.99%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.04 EPS. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John Ranelli sold 3,668 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.50, for a total value of $126,546.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 646 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,287. This trade represents a 85.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.38, for a total transaction of $108,485.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 12,845 shares in the company, valued at $428,766.10. This represents a 20.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 8.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 632.3% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 974 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 841 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 152.3% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,920 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 1,159 shares during the period. iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the 3rd quarter valued at about $94,000. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC purchased a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter valued at about $211,000. 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.