Zacks Research Analysts Lower Earnings Estimates for CENT

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q4 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Central Garden & Pet in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will earn ($0.04) per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.05. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. 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 Q4 2027 earnings at ($0.02) EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.88 EPS.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.10. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 10.99%. The company had revenue of $617.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $636.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.21 earnings per share. Central Garden & Pet’s quarterly revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, CJS Securities upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.50.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $39.67 on Monday. Central Garden & Pet has a fifty-two week low of $28.77 and a fifty-two week high of $41.25. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $33.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $33.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 3.42. The stock has a market cap of $2.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.19 and a beta of 0.73.

Insider Transactions at Central Garden & Pet

In related news, Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.38, for a total transaction of $108,485.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 12,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $428,766.10. This represents a 20.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 8.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CENT. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 632.3% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 974 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 841 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Stenger Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Central Garden & Pet during the 2nd quarter valued at $48,000. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 222.4% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 974 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 152.3% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 1,159 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

More Central Garden & Pet News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple quarterly and full‑year EPS forecasts (several Q2/Q3 2026–2028 estimates and FY2026 & FY2028), boosting modeled FY earnings to $2.84 (FY2026) and $2.95 (FY2028); the firm still carries a “Hold” rating, so the revisions improve outlook without a full rating upgrade. Zacks Research estimate revisions
• Positive Sentiment: Management will participate in investor conferences (J.P. Morgan High Yield & Leveraged Finance Conference on March 3); CFO Brad Smith will do a fireside chat and management will hold one‑on‑ones — increased investor access can support multiple‑buyer interest and reduce information asymmetry. Central Garden & Pet to Participate in Investor Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data reported for February appears erroneous (shows 0 shares and NaN change); as published it provides no clear signal about bearish positioning or potential squeeze dynamics. No link available for the raw data entry.

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.