Zacks Research Has Pessimistic Outlook of CENT Q4 Earnings

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) – Analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q4 2026 EPS estimates for Central Garden & Pet in a report released on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will post earnings of ($0.04) per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.05. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Central Garden & Pet’s current full-year earnings is $2.38 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Central Garden & Pet’s Q4 2027 earnings at ($0.02) EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.88 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on CENT. CJS Securities raised shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.50.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

CENT opened at $39.39 on Monday. Central Garden & Pet has a fifty-two week low of $28.77 and a fifty-two week high of $41.25. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $34.10 and a 200 day moving average of $33.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 3.42. The firm has a market cap of $2.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.08 and a beta of 0.73.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.10. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.99% and a net margin of 5.04%.The firm had revenue of $617.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $636.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.21 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS.

Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the first quarter worth about $255,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 39.2% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 259,144 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,500,000 after purchasing an additional 72,977 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 6.6% in 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 bought a new stake in Central Garden & Pet in the first quarter valued at approximately $7,347,000. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 222.4% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 974 shares during the period. 16.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John Ranelli sold 3,668 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,287. This represents a 85.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.38, for a total transaction of $108,485.00. Following the sale, the director owned 12,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $428,766.10. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 8.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.