Zacks Research Issues Positive Outlook for CENT Earnings

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Free Report) - Zacks Research increased their Q4 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Central Garden & Pet in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, May 21st. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the company will earn ($0.05) per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of ($0.15). 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 Q1 2026 earnings at $0.26 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.04) EPS.

Separately, Truist Financial cut Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $35.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CENT traded up $1.11 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $36.63. 84,004 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 145,921. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.13 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 3.47. Central Garden & Pet has a 52 week low of $31.97 and a 52 week high of $46.85. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $35.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $36.99.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $833.54 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $876.36 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 3.77% and a return on equity of 10.08%. The company's revenue was down 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.42, for a total transaction of $1,296,800.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 1,030,365 shares in the company, valued at $33,404,433.30. This trade represents a 3.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 8.19% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the first quarter valued at about $7,347,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,474,313 shares of the company's stock worth $57,203,000 after buying an additional 125,418 shares during the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the first quarter worth $2,934,000. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 39.2% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 259,144 shares of the company's stock worth $9,500,000 after acquiring an additional 72,977 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 18.3% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 236,681 shares of the company's stock worth $8,677,000 after acquiring an additional 36,590 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 16.13% of the company's stock.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

Central Garden & Pet Co engages in the production and distribution of branded and private label products for the lawn, garden, and pet supplies markets. It operates through the Pet and Garden segments. The Pet segment focuses on dog and cat supplies such as dog treats and chews, toys, pet beds and containment, grooming products, waste management and training pads, supplies for aquatics, small animals, reptiles and pet birds including toys, cages and habitats, bedding, food and supplements, products for equine and livestock, animal and household health and insect control products, live fish, and small animals, as well as outdoor cushions.