Brokers Offer Predictions for CENT FY2026 Earnings

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) – Analysts at Zacks Research issued their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Central Garden & Pet in a research note issued on Wednesday, August 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team expects that the company will post earnings per share of $2.94 for the year. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Central Garden & Pet’s current full-year earnings is $3.00 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Central Garden & Pet’s Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.10) EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.14 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.26 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.58 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at ($0.05) EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.93 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $0.16 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $1.28 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $1.60 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $3.02 EPS.

Several other research firms also recently commented on CENT. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $54.00.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 0.9%

NASDAQ:CENT opened at $43.97 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $43.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $39.90. Central Garden & Pet has a 52 week low of $28.77 and a 52 week high of $46.97. The company has a market capitalization of $2.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.41 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 2.67 and a current ratio of 3.79.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $883.72 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.13% and a net margin of 5.39%.The business’s revenue was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.56 EPS. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 5,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.50, for a total value of $192,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 64,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,490,141.50. This trade represents a 7.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 8.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CENT. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 632.3% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 974 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 841 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 119.9% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,315 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1,532.7% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 1,732 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 152.3% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 1,159 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Central Garden & Pet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks projects fiscal 2028 EPS of $3.02, modestly above its fiscal 2027 estimate of $2.93, indicating expectations for gradual longer-term earnings improvement.
• Neutral Sentiment: The quarterly forecast reflects Central Garden & Pet’s seasonal earnings pattern, with estimated EPS of $0.14 in fiscal Q1 2027, $1.26 in Q2, $1.58 in Q3 and a $0.05 loss in Q4. Zacks also estimates $0.16, $1.28 and $1.60 for fiscal 2028’s first three quarters.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks forecasts fiscal 2026 EPS of $2.94, below the current consensus estimate of $3.00, and fiscal 2027 EPS of $2.93, suggesting little year-over-year earnings growth. The firm’s Hold rating provides no clear upgrade catalyst. The estimate for fiscal Q4 2026 is also a $0.10 per-share loss.

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.