Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

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

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 0.3%

NASDAQ CENTA traded down $0.11 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $38.54. The company had a trading volume of 202,700 shares, compared to its average volume of 309,014. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $25.97 and a one year high of $39.99. The company has a current ratio of 3.45, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company’s fifty day moving average is $37.40 and its 200-day moving average is $34.49. The company has a market cap of $2.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.01 and a beta of 0.59.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.03. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.42% and a return on equity of 11.55%. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on CENTA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Zacks Research cut Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $46.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 15.9% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 18,471 shares of the company’s stock worth $605,000 after purchasing an additional 2,532 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 56.8% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 48,438 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,585,000 after acquiring an additional 17,556 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 2.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 30,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $996,000 after acquiring an additional 743 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 179.2% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 180,907 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,921,000 after purchasing an additional 116,101 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 5.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 263,518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,625,000 after buying an additional 12,749 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

Central Garden & Pet Co is a leading producer, marketer and distributor of branded consumable gardening products and pet supplies in North America. Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, the company serves both retail and wholesale customers through a network of distribution centers across the United States and Canada. Operating under the ticker symbol CENTA on the NASDAQ exchange, Central Garden & Pet has been publicly traded since 2003.

The company’s Garden segment offers a broad portfolio of lawn and garden care solutions, including fertilizers, weed and pest control products, soil and mulch, and plant care accessories.