Q4 EPS Estimate for Central Garden & Pet Lifted by Analyst

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q4 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report issued on Wednesday, May 21st. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of ($0.05) for the quarter, up from their previous forecast 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.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $833.54 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $876.36 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 3.77% and a return on equity of 10.08%.

CENTA has been the subject of several other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $35.00 target price (down previously from $40.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $33.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

NASDAQ CENTA traded down $0.35 on Monday, hitting $32.03. 196,440 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 319,173. The company has a current ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Central Garden & Pet has a 1-year low of $27.70 and a 1-year high of $39.97. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $31.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $32.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a PE ratio of 17.60 and a beta of 0.68.

Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 108.0% in the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 756,270 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,753,000 after purchasing an additional 392,672 shares during the last quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 89.8% during the fourth quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC now owns 685,847 shares of the company's stock worth $22,667,000 after purchasing an additional 324,493 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,979,003 shares of the company's stock worth $197,606,000 after purchasing an additional 306,449 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter valued at $8,245,000. Finally, Armistice Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 28.8% in the first quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 1,025,085 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,551,000 after acquiring an additional 229,324 shares during the period. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 dated Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.42, for a total transaction of $1,296,800.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 1,030,365 shares in the company, valued at $33,404,433.30. This represents a 3.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.