Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Sets New 52-Week High After Strong Earnings

Posted by Francis Steltz on Aug 6th, 2026

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT – Get Free Report)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as high as $46.21 and last traded at $45.1840, with a volume of 7549 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $44.06.

The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $882.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $882.96 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 5.42%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.56 earnings per share. Central Garden & Pet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.850- EPS.

Central Garden & Pet News Roundup

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

Positive Sentiment: Central Garden & Pet reported fiscal Q3 EPS of $1.54, narrowly exceeding analyst expectations of $1.51–$1.53. The company also indicated fiscal 2026 non-GAAP EPS of $2.85 or better, and its TRIXIE transaction remains in progress. Central Garden Surpasses Q3 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
Positive Sentiment: Nylabone, a Central Garden & Pet brand, won “Chew Toy Product of the Year” in the 2026 Pet Innovation Awards for its flavored chew-toy collection. The recognition could support brand visibility and consumer demand, although the direct financial impact is likely limited. Nylabone Wins Chew Toy Product of the Year
Neutral Sentiment: The company’s $882.36 million quarterly revenue was essentially in line with the $882.96 million consensus estimate, suggesting execution was stable despite pressure on sales. Central Garden Announces Q3 Fiscal 2026 Financial Results
Negative Sentiment: Revenue declined 8.2% year over year to $882.36 million, while EPS fell from $1.56 in the prior-year quarter to $1.54. The company’s fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of at least $2.85 was also below the reported analyst consensus of $2.95, indicating a cautious outlook. Central Garden Signals Fiscal 2026 EPS Outlook

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on CENT. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research lowered Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $54.00.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Central Garden & Pet

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the 1st quarter worth approximately $7,347,000. Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 120.9% in the 3rd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 156,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,113,000 after buying an additional 85,706 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 39.2% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 259,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,500,000 after buying an additional 72,977 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 59.5% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 181,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,684,000 after buying an additional 67,800 shares during the period. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 37.7% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 149,156 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,247,000 after acquiring an additional 40,803 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 3.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 3.45 and a quick ratio of 2.16. The firm has a market cap of $2.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.62 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $42.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $38.98.

About Central Garden & Pet

(Get Free Report)

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.