Zacks Research Has Strong Forecast for CENTA FY2025 Earnings

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) – Analysts at Zacks Research upped their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Central Garden & Pet in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, February 19th. Zacks Research analyst S. Singh now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $2.35 for the year, up from their prior estimate of $2.22. 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 Q4 2025 earnings at ($0.15) EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.16 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.13) EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.40 EPS and Q1 2027 earnings at $0.18 EPS.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%.

CENTA has been the topic of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Argus lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.00.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $32.05 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $2.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.61 and a beta of 0.76. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $32.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.21. Central Garden & Pet has a 1-year low of $27.70 and a 1-year high of $41.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 3.47 and a quick ratio of 1.97.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Garden & Pet

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CENTA. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 668.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 930 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 809 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 72.6% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 823 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 43.8% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 732 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $102,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 253.7% during the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 3,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $122,000 after acquiring an additional 2,791 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Central Garden & Pet

In related news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total value of $328,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at $2,205,267.46. This trade represents a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Co engages in the production and distribution of branded and private label products for the lawn, garden, and pet supplies markets. It operates through the Pet and Garden segments. The Pet segment focuses on dog and cat supplies such as dog treats and chews, toys, pet beds and containment, grooming products, waste management and training pads, supplies for aquatics, small animals, reptiles and pet birds including toys, cages and habitats, bedding, food and supplements, products for equine and livestock, animal and household health and insect control products, live fish and small animals as well as outdoor cushions.