CENT · Central Garden & Pet Co
$39.81
+0.61 (+1.56%)
At close · Oct 2
Return incl. dividend (before tax)
Market Cap
$2.46B
Shares
62.59M
Volume · Oct 2
81.16K
Avg daily vol (3M)
98.05K
Price & Indicators
20d MA
50d MA
200d MA
Earnings
Filing
Insider
Congress
Investor day
Close$39.81
Open$39.63
Day$39.18–39.84
52W close$28.98–46.54
Avg vol 30d94K
Short int385K · 0.6% float · 4.9d
Short vol73%
Last earningsAug 5, 2026
DataJan 2020–Oct 2026
Filing10-Q · Aug 6
Up next
Next earnings call
Oct 21, 2026
Est · unconfirmed
· in 2 wks
filed Aug 6, 2026
call held Aug 5, 2026
Metrics snapshot
Useful current figures from the complete screener profile.
Revenue (TTM)
$3.08B
Trailing 12 months
Net income (TTM)
$166.31M
Trailing 12 months
Revenue growth YoY
-8.2%
Year over year
Operating margin
8.1%
Trailing 12 months
P / E (TTM)
14.9
Trailing earnings · reciprocal yield 6.7%
FCF yield
14.1%
TTM · current market cap
Return on invested capital
—
Trailing 12 months
Net cash
—
Latest balance sheet
Dividend yield
—
Trailing 12 months
Shares change YoY
-1.1%
Year over year · fewer shares
Price change (1Y)
+23.5%
Trailing year
Short interest
0.6%
Latest settlement · 4.9 days to cover
AI Brief
Q3 FY26 earnings call · Aug 5, 2026
Q3 FY26
TL;DR. Central Garden & Pet reported Q3 organic sales growth of 2%, expanded non-GAAP operating margin 90 bps to 15.4%, and raised fiscal 2026 non-GAAP EPS guidance from $2.70 to $2.85 or better, while announcing a definitive agreement to acquire an 80% stake in European pet supplies leader Trixie for up to €400 million.
Bullish
- + Raised fiscal 2026 non-GAAP diluted EPS guidance from $2.70 or better to $2.85 or better
- + Organic net sales grew 2% to $862 million driven by growth in both segments
- + Non-GAAP operating margin expanded 90 basis points to 15.4%
- + Announced acquisition of 80% stake in Trixie, expanding international footprint to ~10% of combined sales outside U.S.
- + Garden segment adjusted EBITDA margin expanded to 20.9% from 20.4%
- + Record operating cash flow of $327 million and net leverage at all-time low of 0.5x provides financial flexibility
Bearish
- − Reported net sales declined 8% to $882 million due to pet distribution business exit
- − Non-GAAP diluted EPS of $1.54 declined from $1.56 in prior year quarter
- − Dog and Cat business experienced supply disruption from South American plant fire, reducing sales and margins
From the call
AI-generated from the earnings call and 8-K · may contain errors · not investment advice
Equibles Rating
blended score · not investment adviceOverall
Buy
SellHoldBuy
Technical
Neutral
Momentum
Neutral
Sentiment
Bullish
Fundamentals
Strong
Quant / Vol
Moderate
Market backdrop
VIX 15.3 · calm
Equity put/call 0.58
Technical
price trend
50 / 200-day cross
No cross
Price vs 200-day avg
+2%
above
Price vs 50-day avg
−6%
below
RSI (14)
41
neutral
MACD trend
Positive
52-week position
62%
mid-range
Volume (OBV)
Confirms
volume backs price
Momentum
relative strength
1-month return
−5%
trailing
6-month return
+4%
trailing
YTD return
+24%
this year
Relative strength
−8%
vs S&P · 6-mo
Sentiment
smart money
Trend (MA cross)
No cross
50d $42 › 200d $39 — 50d above 200d
Institutional flow
Accumulating
2 of 316 funds reported for Sep 30 · net +156 sh shares
Insider flow
Distributing
Net -$539.6K over 90 days · 100% sells
Short interest
Falling
0.62% of float · ▼ -9.5% MoM · 4.9 days cover
Volume signal
Normal
Volume near normal
Institution breadth
Multi-yr high
316 holders — near 3-yr high, broad support
Squeeze score
36
low risk · 0–100
Fundamentals
Revenue growth
−2%
Y/Y
Gross margin
32%
expanding
EPS growth
+57%
Y/Y
Free cash flow
$291.1M
Valuation
P/E 14.7
in line
Buyback
$128.0M
remaining
Balance sheet
$309.2M
net debt
Quant / Vol
risk profile
Volatility
27%
annualized · 1-yr
Max drawdown
−16%
past year
ATR
2.3%
of price · 14-day
Blended from price, momentum, positioning, fundamentals & volatility · daily-close · not investment advice. Market backdrop is context, not part of the score.
Guidance & track record
Latest guidance
· from the 8-K filed Aug 5, 2026
Non-GAAP diluted EPS
· fiscal 2026
Non-GAAP
Initiated
$2.85
Capital expenditures
· fiscal 2026
Initiated
$50M
Guided vs delivered
· last 4 settled
EPS
fiscal 2023
guided at least $2.35
$1.88
Miss −20.0%
Full-year 2022 GAAP EPS
full-year 2022
guided at least $3.10
$2.24
Miss −27.7%
GAAP EPS
full-year 2021
guided at least $2.45
$2.75
In line
EPS
full year 2020
guided at least $1.90
$2.20
In line
Guidance from company 8-Ks · delivered figures from as-reported statements · no analyst estimates involved.
Technicals
trend & momentum for long-term holders Neutral
50 / 200-day cross
No cross
Neutral
Price vs 200-day avg
+2%
Bullish
Price vs 50-day avg
−6%
Bearish
RSI (14)
41
Neutral
MACD trend
Positive
Bullish
52-week position
62%
Neutral
Volume (OBV)
Confirms
Neutral
Market signals — smart money & positioning
Bullish · 3 of 6
Trend (MA cross)
No cross
50d $42 › 200d $39 — 50d above 200d
Institutional flow
Accumulating
2 of 316 funds reported for Sep 30 · net +156 sh shares
Insider flow
Distributing
Net -$539.6K over 90 days · 100% sells
Short interest
Falling
0.62% of float · ▼ -9.5% MoM · 4.9 days cover
Volume signal
Normal
Volume near normal
Institution breadth
Multi-yr high
316 holders — near 3-yr high, broad support
Price context
position in its 52-week range
Range low $29
Now $40 · 62%
Range high $47
vs 200-day avg +2%
vs 50-day avg -6%
Illustrative technical + ownership context — a signal mix, not investment advice.
Key metrics
the company's own KPIs, from written earnings releases and filings| Metric | Latest | Period | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusted EBITDA non-GAAP | $161.87M | Three Months Ended June 27, 2026 filing | — |
|
|
|||
| Corporate Adjusted EBITDA non-GAAP | -$24.55M | Three Months Ended June 27, 2026 filing | — |
| Garden Segment Adjusted EBITDA non-GAAP | $100.83M | Three Months Ended June 27, 2026 filing | — |
| Gross margin | 35.9% | three months ended June 27, 2026 filing | — |
| Non-GAAP Garden Segment operating margin non-GAAP | 18.9% | Three Months Ended June 27, 2026 filing | — |
| Non-GAAP operating income non-GAAP | $136M | the three months ended June 27, 2026 filing | — |
| Non-GAAP operating margin non-GAAP | 15.4% | the three months ended June 27, 2026 filing | — |
| Non-GAAP SG&A as a percentage of net sales non-GAAP | 20.6% | the three months ended June 27, 2026 filing | — |
| Operating margin | 14.3% | the third quarter of fiscal 2026 filing | — |
| Organic net sales non-GAAP | $862.2M | Three Months Ended June 27, 2026 filing | — |
GAAP → non-GAAP reconciliationGAAP Net sales (GAAP) 882.4M
-20.2M Effect of acquisitions & divestitures on net sales
= Organic Net Sales 862.2M
|
|||
| Organic net sales growth non-GAAP | 2.4% | Three Months Ended June 27, 2026 filing | — |
| Pet non-GAAP operating margin non-GAAP | 19% | the three months ended June 27, 2026 filing | — |
| Pet organic net sales non-GAAP | 1.7% | the quarter ended June 27, 2026 filing | — |
| Pet Segment Adjusted EBITDA non-GAAP | $85.59M | Three Months Ended June 27, 2026 filing | — |
| Selling, general and administrative expense non-GAAP | 20.6% | the third quarter of fiscal 2026 filing | — |
Figures exactly as the company stated them in writing · click a metric with a to chart its history · period links open the stating document · "filing" marks figures stated in the 10-K/10-Q · YoY needs an exactly comparable prior-year period
Versus peers
Packaged Foods — same industry group| Company | Mkt cap | YTD | Rev growth Y/Y | P/E | Short % shares |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CENT
this stock
Central Garden & Pet Co
|
$2.46B | +23.8% | -2.2% | 14.7 | 0.6% |
|
JBS
Jbs N.V.
|
$38.06B | -19.1% | — | — | 1.2% |
|
KHC
Kraft Heinz Co
|
$28.02B | -8.5% | -0.1% | — | 7.9% |
|
GIS
General Mills Inc
|
$17.99B | -31.2% | +4.1% | — | 8.4% |
|
SJM
J M SMUCKER Co
|
$12.93B | +19.8% | +3.7% | — | 4.4% |
Peers by industry group · P/E from as-reported trailing EPS · short % is of shares outstanding
At a glance
key data from every sectionOwnership
Short & Settlement
Smart Money
Financials
Filings
Earnings & Events
Performance
| 5D | 20D | 120D | MTD | YTD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CENT | +0.8% | -4.5% | +4.5% | +2.4% | +23.8% |
| SPY | -0.2% | -0.5% | +12.2% | +0.9% | +12.9% |
| vs SPY | +1.0% | -4.1% | -7.7% | +1.5% | +11.0% |
Capital returns
Buyback program
· as of Jun 27, 2026
Authorized
—
Spent (derived)
—
Remaining
$128.00M
Dividends per share over the trailing 365 days by ex-date · buyback figures as last reported in SEC filings ("spent" derived as authorized − remaining; when several programs run concurrently, authorized is their combined total per the newest filing) · components shown separately — trailing-year buyback spend isn't tracked, so no combined shareholder yield is derived.