Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Announces Earnings Results

06 May 2026, 20:30 by Scott Moore · The Cerbat Gem

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA – Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.21, Zacks reports. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 10.99%. Central Garden & Pet updated its FY 2026 guidance to 2.700- EPS.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CENTA traded up $0.95 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $33.66. The stock had a trading volume of 377,096 shares, compared to its average volume of 284,407. The company has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a PE ratio of 13.74 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $33.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.07. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $25.97 and a 1 year high of $37.35.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on CENTA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.00.

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Insider Activity

In other news, Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.38, for a total value of $108,485.00. Following the sale, the director owned 12,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $428,766.10. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John Ranelli sold 3,668 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.50, for a total transaction of $126,546.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,287. The trade was a 85.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 20.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CENTA. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 181.2% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 549,355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,222,000 after acquiring an additional 354,016 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 168.5% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 292,197 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,529,000 after acquiring an additional 183,363 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1,109.1% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 196,777 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,811,000 after acquiring an additional 180,503 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 52.8% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 391,758 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,569,000 after acquiring an additional 135,340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 15.5% in the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 964,380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,150,000 after acquiring an additional 129,496 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.