Zacks Research Has Positive Forecast for CENTA Q2 Earnings

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) – Analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q2 2026 earnings per share estimates for Central Garden & Pet in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $1.08 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.06. 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 Q3 2026 earnings at $1.59 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.84 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.18 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.10 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.62 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $0.20 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.95 EPS.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.10. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 10.99%. The company had revenue of $617.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $636.62 million. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $28.00 price objective (down from $31.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Friday, January 16th. CJS Securities raised Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.75.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $34.61 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.16 billion, a PE ratio of 14.13 and a beta of 0.67. Central Garden & Pet has a 12-month low of $25.97 and a 12-month high of $37.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $30.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.38, for a total value of $108,485.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 12,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $428,766.10. This represents a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 212,850 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,230,000 after acquiring an additional 39,339 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 16.0% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 235,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,954,000 after purchasing an additional 32,496 shares in the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the second quarter worth $1,431,000. LSV Asset Management lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 209.2% during the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,384,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,888,000 after purchasing an additional 936,852 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 3.4% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 941,185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,454,000 after purchasing an additional 30,763 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Key Central Garden & Pet News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple near‑term and long‑term EPS forecasts for CENTA — including Q1/Q2/Q3 2026‑2028 and lifting FY2026 to $2.84 (from $2.75) and FY2028 to $2.95 — signaling improved analyst expectations for earnings momentum. Zacks still carries a “Hold” rating, so the move is an earnings‑revision driven catalyst rather than a full buy‑rating change.
• Positive Sentiment: Management will attend investor conferences (J.P. Morgan High Yield & Leveraged Finance Conference on March 3); CFO Brad Smith will do a fireside chat and management will host one‑on‑ones — increases investor access and may help tighten credit-market perceptions and liquidity for the stock. Central Garden & Pet to Participate in Investor Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks feature on value investors discusses CENTA in the context of its rank system — useful for investor context but not a direct catalyst. Should Value Investors Buy Central Garden & Pet (CENTA) Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data shows effectively zero reported short volume (data appears anomalous), implying limited short‑pressure information — likely no material near‑term impact until a reliable short‑interest print is available.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & 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 & Pet has been publicly traded since 2003.

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.