Brokers Offer Predictions for CENT FY2026 Earnings

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) – Analysts at Zacks Research issued their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Central Garden & Pet in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, August 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team forecasts that the company will post earnings of $2.94 per share for the year. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Central Garden & Pet’s current full-year earnings is $3.00 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Central Garden & Pet’s Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.10) EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.14 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.26 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.58 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at ($0.05) EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.93 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $0.16 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $1.28 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $1.60 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $3.02 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on CENT. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $54.00.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

NASDAQ:CENT opened at $43.97 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 2.67 and a current ratio of 3.79. The company has a 50-day moving average of $43.71 and a 200-day moving average of $39.90. Central Garden & Pet has a 52 week low of $28.77 and a 52 week high of $46.97. The company has a market capitalization of $2.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.41 and a beta of 0.61.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $883.72 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 11.13%. The business’s revenue was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.56 earnings per share. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS.

Insider Activity

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.50, for a total value of $192,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 64,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,490,141.50. This trade represents a 7.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 8.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CENT. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 1.5% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 25,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 369 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 43,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,399,000 after buying an additional 411 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 14,492 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after buying an additional 531 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 8,241 shares of the company’s stock worth $303,000 after buying an additional 583 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 4.8% during the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 12,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $454,000 after acquiring an additional 589 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Central Garden & Pet

Here are the key news stories impacting Central Garden & Pet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks projects fiscal 2028 EPS of $3.02, modestly above its fiscal 2027 estimate of $2.93, indicating expectations for gradual longer-term earnings improvement.
• Neutral Sentiment: The quarterly forecast reflects Central Garden & Pet’s seasonal earnings pattern, with estimated EPS of $0.14 in fiscal Q1 2027, $1.26 in Q2, $1.58 in Q3 and a $0.05 loss in Q4. Zacks also estimates $0.16, $1.28 and $1.60 for fiscal 2028’s first three quarters.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks forecasts fiscal 2026 EPS of $2.94, below the current consensus estimate of $3.00, and fiscal 2027 EPS of $2.93, suggesting little year-over-year earnings growth. The firm’s Hold rating provides no clear upgrade catalyst. The estimate for fiscal Q4 2026 is also a $0.10 per-share loss.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ: CENT) is a leading North American specialty retailer, manufacturer and distributor serving the lawn and garden and pet supplies markets. The company operates through two primary segments: Pet and Garden. In the Pet segment, Central Garden & Pet offers a comprehensive range of products including pet food, treats, accessories, training products and habitat solutions for dogs, cats, birds, fish and small animals. The Garden segment encompasses a wide array of lawn, garden and outdoor living products, such as soils, fertilizers, planters, pest control solutions, landscape lighting and watering equipment.

Central Garden & Pet’s product portfolio includes both proprietary and branded offerings.