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

Key Points

• Central Garden & Pet set FY 2026 EPS guidance at $2.85, below the analyst consensus estimate of $2.95. Analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $2.89.
• The company’s latest quarterly results were broadly in line with expectations, with EPS of $1.54 versus the $1.53 consensus and revenue of $882.36 million, slightly below estimates.
• Investor sentiment remains positive: analysts maintain a consensus “Buy” rating with a $54 price target, while CENT traded near $44.06 and institutional investors owned 16.13% of the stock.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Get Free Report) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.850- for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 2.950. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CENT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Zacks Research cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $54.00.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 0.0%

NASDAQ:CENT traded down $0.01 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $44.06. 83,916 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 77,633. Central Garden & Pet has a fifty-two week low of $28.77 and a fifty-two week high of $45.78. The company has a current ratio of 3.45, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.02 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $42.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $38.90.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $882.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.42% and a return on equity of 11.55%. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 25,503 shares of the company's stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 369 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 43,520 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,399,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 14,492 shares of the company's stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 531 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 4.8% in the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 12,949 shares of the company's stock valued at $454,000 after purchasing an additional 589 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 632.3% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 974 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 841 shares during the last quarter. 16.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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