Zacks Research Has Pessimistic View of CENTA Q3 Earnings

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) – Zacks Research reduced their Q3 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Central Garden & Pet in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, May 21st. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $1.15 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast 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.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on CENTA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $35.00 price target (down from $40.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $33.00.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 0.8%

CENTA stock opened at $31.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 3.47 and a quick ratio of 1.97. Central Garden & Pet has a 1-year low of $27.70 and a 1-year high of $39.97. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.07. The company has a market capitalization of $2.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.52 and a beta of 0.68.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $833.54 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $876.36 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.42, for a total transaction of $1,296,800.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 1,030,365 shares in the company, 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 SEC, which is available at this link. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CENTA. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 161.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 122,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,849,000 after buying an additional 75,718 shares during the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter worth about $1,922,000. Denali Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter worth about $1,573,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 268,331 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,868,000 after purchasing an additional 8,889 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highbridge Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 89.8% during the fourth quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC now owns 685,847 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,667,000 after buying an additional 324,493 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

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.