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

Key Points

• FY2026 guidance: Central Garden & Pet set FY2026 EPS guidance at about $2.70, below the analyst consensus of roughly $2.83–$2.84, and did not provide revenue guidance.
• Recent results and market reaction: The company beat the latest quarter with EPS of $1.29 (vs. $1.08 est.) and revenue of $906.2M (vs. $846.6M est.), and the stock traded up ~2.1% to $36.83 (market cap ~$2.29B, P/E 15.03).
• Insider and analyst signals: Two directors significantly sold shares (insiders now own ~8.20%), institutions own ~16.13%, and analysts carry a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target of $50.00.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Get Free Report) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 2.700- for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 2.840. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 2.1%

CENT traded up $0.74 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $36.83. The stock had a trading volume of 60,547 shares, compared to its average volume of 76,125. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.03 and a beta of 0.62. 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's fifty day simple moving average is $37.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.63. Central Garden & Pet has a 52 week low of $28.77 and a 52 week high of $41.25.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $906.15 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $846.58 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.99% and a net margin of 5.04%.Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.83 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CENT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research lowered Central Garden & Pet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $50.00.

Insider Activity at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $428,766.10. This trade represents a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John Ranelli sold 3,668 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.50, for a total transaction of $126,546.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,287. This trade represents a 85.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 8.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 67,660 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,175,000 after acquiring an additional 3,719 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter valued at about $607,000. Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 14,492 shares of the company's stock valued at $466,000 after acquiring an additional 531 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 95,406 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,067,000 after acquiring an additional 3,717 shares during the period. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 30.9% in the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 15,624 shares of the company's stock valued at $502,000 after acquiring an additional 3,690 shares during the period. 16.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

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.

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