FY2026 EPS Forecast for Central Garden & Pet Cut by Analyst

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research reduced their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Central Garden & Pet in a report issued on Wednesday, May 20th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $2.70 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $2.84. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Central Garden & Pet’s current full-year earnings is $2.95 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Central Garden & Pet’s Q1 2027 earnings at $0.20 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.26 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.80 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $0.22 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $1.28 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.89 EPS.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.21. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 5.42%.The company had revenue of $906.15 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $846.58 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.04 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings raised Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $54.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 1.1%

CENT stock opened at $38.61 on Friday. Central Garden & Pet has a twelve month low of $28.77 and a twelve month high of $41.53. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market cap of $2.42 billion, a PE ratio of 14.04 and a beta of 0.62. The business has a 50 day moving average of $37.32 and a 200 day moving average of $35.21.

Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 632.3% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 974 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 841 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1,532.7% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 1,732 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 152.3% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 1,159 shares in the last quarter. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 3rd quarter worth $94,000. Institutional investors own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

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.