Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.10 EPS

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.10, Zacks reports. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.17% and a net margin of 5.20%.The firm had revenue of $617.37 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $636.62 million. Central Garden & Pet updated its FY 2026 guidance to 2.700- EPS.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of CENTA stock opened at $31.81 on Thursday. Central Garden & Pet has a 12-month low of $25.97 and a 12-month high of $37.35. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $29.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.60. The company has a current ratio of 3.67, a quick ratio of 2.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a PE ratio of 12.47 and a beta of 0.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the third quarter worth $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 444.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,001 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 817 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 239.5% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,000 after buying an additional 4,388 shares during the last quarter. Vestcor Inc acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 3rd quarter valued at about $208,000. Finally, Aristides Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 8.0% in the third quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 8,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $249,000 after buying an additional 623 shares during the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on CENTA. Wall Street Zen downgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. CJS Securities upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.75.

About Central Garden & Pet

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.