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

Key Points

• FY 2026 guidance: Central set EPS guidance at about $2.70 per share, below the consensus estimate of $2.84 (analysts' average ~$2.83).
• Shares rose 2.9% to $33.66 on Wednesday with volume above average; the company trades at a market cap of $2.10 billion and a P/E of 13.74.
• Corporate insiders recently sold meaningful stakes (directors John Ranelli and Brendan Dougher) while institutional investors boosted holdings, leaving insiders with ~20.3% and institutions with ~50.8% ownership.

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

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 2.9%

Shares of Central Garden & Pet stock traded up $0.95 on Wednesday, reaching $33.66. 377,096 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 284,407. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.74 and a beta of 0.59. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $25.97 and a one year high of $37.35. The company has a 50-day moving average of $33.13 and a 200 day moving average of $31.07.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.21. 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 research analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on CENTA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings raised Central Garden & Pet from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen lowered Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised Central Garden & Pet to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $44.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director John Ranelli sold 3,668 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director owned 646 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,287. This represents a 85.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of Central Garden & Pet 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 completion of the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 20.28% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CENTA. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 15.9% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 18,471 shares of the company's stock worth $605,000 after purchasing an additional 2,532 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 56.8% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 48,438 shares of the company's stock worth $1,585,000 after purchasing an additional 17,556 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 2.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 30,421 shares of the company's stock worth $996,000 after purchasing an additional 743 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 179.2% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 180,907 shares of the company's stock worth $5,921,000 after purchasing an additional 116,101 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.1% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 263,518 shares of the company's stock worth $8,625,000 after purchasing an additional 12,749 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company's stock.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

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.

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