Zacks Research Analysts Lift Earnings Estimates for CENT

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) – Analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q2 2026 earnings estimates for Central Garden & Pet in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will earn $1.08 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.06. 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 Q3 2026 earnings at $1.59 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.84 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.18 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.10 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.62 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $0.20 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.95 EPS.

CENT has been the topic of several other reports. Weiss Ratings raised Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. CJS Securities raised Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.50.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of CENT opened at $39.67 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.47 billion, a PE ratio of 16.19 and a beta of 0.73. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $28.77 and a one year high of $41.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 1.97. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $33.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $33.68.

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

Insider Transactions at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.38, for a total value of $108,485.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 12,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $428,766.10. This represents a 20.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 8.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 20.1% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 1.5% during the 2nd 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. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 20,650 shares of the company’s stock valued at $674,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Central Garden & Pet by 16.1% in the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,827 shares of the company’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 43,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,399,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Central Garden & Pet

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.