Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 2.850- for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 2.950. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CENT traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $44.06. 83,916 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 77,633. The stock has a market cap of $2.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.02 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 3.45, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Central Garden & Pet has a twelve month low of $28.77 and a twelve month high of $45.78. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $42.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $38.90.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $882.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.42% and a return on equity of 11.55%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.56 EPS. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CENT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price 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 analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $54.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CENT. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Central Garden & Pet in the 1st quarter worth about $255,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 39.2% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 259,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,500,000 after acquiring an additional 72,977 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 51,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,891,000 after acquiring an additional 3,199 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 1st quarter worth about $7,347,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 25,503 shares of the company’s stock worth $897,000 after acquiring an additional 369 shares during the period. 16.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.