Research Analysts Issue Forecasts for CENTA FY2026 Earnings

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research cut their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report issued on Wednesday, May 20th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will earn $2.70 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $2.84. The consensus estimate for Central Garden & Pet’s current full-year earnings is $2.95 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Central Garden & Pet’s Q1 2027 earnings at $0.20 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.26 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.80 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $0.22 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $1.28 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.89 EPS.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. 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 raised Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, 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 research note on Friday, April 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of CENTA opened at $34.57 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $33.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.57 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 3.45. Central Garden & Pet has a 52-week low of $25.97 and a 52-week high of $37.71.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $906.15 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $846.58 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 5.42%.Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 16.0% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 235,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,954,000 after acquiring an additional 32,496 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,924,354 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,729,000 after acquiring an additional 54,930 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 209.2% during the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,384,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,888,000 after purchasing an additional 936,852 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,217,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,484,000 after purchasing an additional 115,706 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter valued at about $893,000. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.