Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Estimate for CENT Earnings

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Free Report) - Zacks Research cut their Q3 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Central Garden & Pet in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, May 21st. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $1.15 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.34. 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 Q2 2026 earnings at $1.11 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.20 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.53 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.27 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.13 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.60 EPS.

Separately, Truist Financial downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $35.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ CENT traded down $0.35 during trading on Friday, hitting $36.29. 15,718 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 145,408. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.92 and a beta of 0.73. The business's fifty day moving average is $35.35 and its 200 day moving average is $36.99. 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 fifty-two week low of $31.97 and a fifty-two week high of $46.85.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT - Get Free Report) last released 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 during 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%. Central Garden & Pet's revenue for the quarter was down 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.99 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CENT. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 23.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 138,273 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,365,000 after acquiring an additional 25,968 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter worth $682,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 73.8% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 35,228 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,285,000 after purchasing an additional 14,964 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 200,091 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,764,000 after purchasing an additional 22,556 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 193.8% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,201 shares of the company's stock valued at $151,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 16.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 1,030,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $33,404,433.30. The trade was a 3.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 8.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Central Garden & Pet

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.