Zacks Research Has Optimistic Outlook of CENTA Q2 Earnings

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q2 2026 earnings per share estimates for Central Garden & Pet in a research note issued on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will earn $1.08 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.06. 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 Q3 2026 earnings at $1.59 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.84 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.18 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.10 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.62 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $0.20 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.95 EPS.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $28.00 price target (down previously from $31.00) on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research report on Friday, January 16th. CJS Securities raised Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded 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 issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.75.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of CENTA opened at $35.23 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market cap of $2.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.38 and a beta of 0.67. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $30.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.42. Central Garden & Pet has a 52 week low of $25.97 and a 52 week high of $37.35.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $617.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $636.62 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 10.99%. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700- EPS.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Director Brendan Dougher sold 3,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.38, for a total transaction of $108,485.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 12,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $428,766.10. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Central Garden & Pet

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

Central Garden & Pet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Central Garden & Pet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several near‑term and multi‑year EPS estimates for CENTA (including Q1/Q2/Q3 2026, Q1–Q3 2027 and FY2026/FY2028), lifting FY2026 to ~2.84 and FY2028 to ~2.95 — these upward revisions improve the company’s earnings trajectory versus prior forecasts and are a likely catalyst for the stock’s gains.
• Positive Sentiment: Central Garden & Pet will participate in investor conferences (J.P. Morgan High Yield & Leveraged Finance Conference on March 3); CFO Brad Smith will appear on a fireside chat and management will take one‑on‑one meetings — increased analyst/investor access can boost sentiment and reduce information uncertainty. Central Garden & Pet to Participate in Investor Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reporting for February shows anomalous/zero values (a flagged large increase but with 0 shares reported and NaN changes), which appears to be a data glitch — no clear directional pressure from short activity based on the published figures.

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.