Zacks Research Issues Negative Forecast for CENT Earnings

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q3 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note issued on Wednesday, May 21st. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $1.15 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.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.10. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. The company had revenue of $833.54 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $876.36 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.99 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.4% on a year-over-year basis.

Separately, Truist Financial cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $35.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ CENT opened at $35.52 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.00. Central Garden & Pet has a 12 month low of $31.97 and a 12 month high of $46.85. The company has a current ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.33 billion, a PE ratio of 19.52 and a beta of 0.73.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter worth about $58,000. Simplex Trading LLC grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 136.2% in the first quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 2,048 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 1,181 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 13.7% during the first quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 2,820 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 4,556.8% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 3,372 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.42, for a total value of $1,296,800.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 1,030,365 shares of the company’s stock, 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 this link. 8.19% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.