CENTRAL GARDEN AND PET CLASS A (CENTA)
Consumer Staples · consumer products · NASDAQ
Central Garden & Pet is a diversified manufacturer and distributor of branded pet, lawn, and garden supplies.
What CENTRAL GARDEN AND PET CLASS A does
Central Garden & Pet Company produces and distributes a broad portfolio of pet and lawn and garden products under a variety of owned and licensed brands. The company operates through two primary segments: Pet, which includes supplies for dogs, cats, small animals, birds, and fish, and Garden, which focuses on lawn care, garden control, and wild bird feed.
Themes: pet care, lawn and garden supplies, branded consumer products, retail distribution
Fundamentals
- Price$38.43 as of 2026-08-21 close
- Market cap$2.5B as of 2026-08-24
- 1-year return+19.3% 2025-08-21 close $32.21 → 2026-08-21 close $38.43
- P/E14.63 as of 2026-08-24
- Net margin+5.4% as of 2026-08-24
- Gross margin+32.3% as of 2026-08-24
- ROE+10.7% as of 2026-08-24
- Debt / equity0.72 as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue growth (YoY)+0.2% as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue CAGR (3y)-2.1% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.68 as of 2026-08-24
- Last reported earnings2026-08-05 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
How CENTA compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiobottom 25% 97 covered Consumer Staples peers, as of 2026-08-24
- net profit marginmiddle range 116 covered Consumer Staples peers, as of 2026-08-24
- operating marginmiddle range 116 covered Consumer Staples peers, as of 2026-08-24
- gross marginmiddle range 116 covered Consumer Staples peers, as of 2026-08-24
- return on equitymiddle range 116 covered Consumer Staples peers, as of 2026-08-24
- 3-year revenue CAGRbottom 25% 109 covered Consumer Staples peers
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)middle range 110 covered Consumer Staples peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Consumer Staples companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Top 10 scores & list membership
CENTA is not currently in any published Top 10 list. Its scores are below.
Long-term score
Not scored for the long-term list: no shareholder return data.
Short-term score
52.3 #648 of 1,704 scored · #30 of 69 in Consumer Staples
Volume and participation 59th: trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average; trend 56th: a trend forming but not yet strong (ADX below 25); weakest is setup 40th: no fresh 20-day breakout up or down.
Scores as of 21 Aug 2026. Each bar is a percentile: how this company ranked against every company the score ranked, 0–100. A list is a published formula and its output, not a recommendation. Method version 2.
How CENTRAL GARDEN AND PET CLASS A looks technically
CENTRAL GARDEN AND PET CLASS A (CENTA) is trading 15.2% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 116 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. A trend is forming but not yet strong — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 22 (a reading of 25+ marks a strong trend). Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 51, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bearish about 10 trading days ago (its momentum flipped negative). It made a new 20-day low about 5 trading days ago.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 15.2% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend | +15.2% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $38.18 | $38.18 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $33.37 | $33.37 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been higher than the one before it and each dip has been shallower — the pattern chart-watchers call an uptrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | higher highs and higher lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing high 15 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 15 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a completed three-part upward correction — a pullback in the A-B-C shape Elliott-wave chartists use; the labelling fails if price closes above 40.795. It is the only labelling that fits, though not with textbook proportions, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. | possible three-wave upward correction, complete (atypical proportions) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 116 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 116 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | a trend is forming but not yet strong — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 22 (a reading of 25+ marks a strong trend) | 21.9 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 51, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 51.3 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading in the lower half of its 14-day range ($36.98 to $40.80) — its "stochastic" reading is 38 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been climbing within that range over the last few sessions. | 38.0 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bearish about 10 trading days ago (its momentum flipped negative) | 10 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $40.80 | $40.80 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 5.8% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -5.8% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 48.0% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +48.0% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 5.8% below its highest point of the past year | 5.8% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day low about 5 trading days ago | 5 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day high about 12 trading days ago | 12 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $44.66 (set on 2021-05-10) | $44.66 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($26.27 to $40.60), and it has given back roughly a quarter of its rise from last year’s low — 15% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $31.29 to $31.74. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 15.1% |
| From the all-time high | it is 13.9% below its all-time high | -13.9% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 3.5% above a support level at $37.09 — a price it turned at four times since 2024-12-17, most recently on 2026-07-31. Since 2024-08-21 it has 10 such levels below the current price and 1 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | -3.5% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $1.61 (set on 2008-10-28) | $1.61 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 2289.9% above its all-time low | +2,290% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are narrower than usual versus its own recent 6-month history (tighter than about 82% of it) | 18th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $1.17 between its high and its low — about 3.0% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $1.17 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $37.29 and $39.72 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $37.29 – $38.50 – $39.72 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 3.0% in a typical session — about typical for the companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 3.0% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 4.3 daily ranges above its 200-day average price (15.2% above it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 4.3 daily ranges above its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 1.28× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts have raised their average price target by 2.2% since the prior reading | +2.2% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | the analyst consensus rating is unchanged since the prior reading | unchanged |
Price gaps
3
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-08-21 0.2% above the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and traded back through that level before the close | +0.2% |
|---|---|---|
| Open gap | it gapped 2.4% below the previous close 10 sessions ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 40.6 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | -2.4% |
| Gap filled | a 4.2% gap up opened on 2026-08-06 has been "filled" 10 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 1 session to close | 10 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it closed higher in its latest session, after a session that did not close higher — a single up day rather than a run | 1 session up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock lagged the market by 1.9 percentage points (the stock gained 0.4% while the market gained 2.3%) | -1.9% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock beat the market by 8.1 percentage points (the stock gained 11.2% while the market gained 3.1%) | +8.1% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 2.0 percentage points (the stock gained 9.1% while the market gained 11.1%) | -2.0% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock lagged the market by 1.2 percentage points (the stock gained 19.3% while the market gained 20.5%) | -1.2% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 3 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, trading above its 200-day average, trading above the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 3 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 2 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: MACD momentum is negative, lagging the market over 6 months — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 2 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 2.8% above the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-16 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established uptrend, with the band below acting as the level that would have to give way. The band itself is moderate, spanning 3.9% of the share price. | +2.8% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 10% above the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $34.88 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 157 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +10.2% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 1% below the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-08-05 (its 8-K), so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $38.75 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 13 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -0.8% |
Price levels it has turned at before
CENTA last closed at $38.43 on 2026-08-21. Since 2024-08-21 it has turned at 10 prices below its last close and 1 above; the 3 nearest below and the nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $37.09 | Support | 3.5% below the last close | turned there four times · 2024-12-17 to 2026-07-31 |
| $39.90 | Resistance | 3.8% above the last close | turned there twice · 2026-07-02 to 2026-07-24 |
| $35.68 | Support | 7.2% below the last close | turned there five times · 2024-12-09 to 2026-05-22 |
| $34.97 | Support | 9.0% below the last close | turned there five times · 2024-11-26 to 2026-04-27 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a three-part upward correction — the A-B-C shape chartists use for a pullback — now complete.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes above $40.80.
It is the only labelling that fits these swings, though its proportions are not the textbook ones.
This labelling was already in place when we began recording count changes on 2026-08-13, so how long it has stood is not something we can say yet.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-21.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading above the 200-day moving average · Analyst price target recently RAISED · Trading above the Ichimoku cloud | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · macd · breakout
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-21. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingBuy (1.80 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 4 analysts
- Mean price target$46.25 range $39.00 – $50.00; median $48.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-08-19. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for CENTA
- Consensus EPS estimate-$0.05847 next reporting period, as of 2026-08-19
Change over time is not available yet: it needs two readings of the same reporting period at least 30 days apart, and we have been recording these estimates since 2026-08-04. An estimate for a DIFFERENT quarter is not a revision, so a reading from before the last report is never compared with one after it.
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Dependence on a small number of customers for a significant portion of business.","Fluctuations in market prices for raw materials such as seeds and grains.","Risks associated with acquisition strategies and the ability to integrate new businesses."]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of CENTA's 10-Q filed 2026-05-07 against the prior one filed 2026-02-05.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Added 'Recent Developments' subsection 'Fiscal 2026 Second Quarter Financial Performance' with detailed Q2 metrics (filed 2026-05-07)
- Added 'Pet Distribution Divestiture' section describing April 13, 2026 strategic partnership with Phillips Pet Food & Supplies (filed 2026-05-07)
- Added details on pet distribution business contribution, cash proceeds, 20% ownership stake, and 80% Phillips/investors ownership (filed 2026-05-07)
- Added new 'Results of Operations' section comparing three months ended March 28, 2026 vs March 29, 2025 (filed 2026-05-07)
- Added detailed net sales, gross profit, and SG&A analysis for Q2 fiscal 2026 (filed 2026-05-07)
- Added Pet segment gross margin improvement details citing improved product mix and productivity improvements (filed 2026-05-07)
- Added Garden segment gross margin decline explanation citing higher manufacturing costs and private label mix shift (filed 2026-05-07)
- Added selling and delivery expense breakdown showing $87.2 million for Q2 fiscal 2026 (filed 2026-05-07)
- Added warehouse and administrative expense figure of $98.4 million (filed 2026-05-07)
- Removed:
- Removed 'Fiscal 2026 First Quarter Financial Performance' subsection with Q1 metrics (filed 2026-02-05)
- Removed 'Acquisitions' section describing December 2025 Champion USA LLC acquisition for $57 million (filed 2026-02-05)
- Removed 'Facility Closures' section describing $7.7 million in charges from Cost and Simplicity program (filed 2026-02-05)
- Removed 'Results of Operations' section comparing three months ended December 27, 2025 vs December 28, 2024 (filed 2026-02-05)
- Removed detailed Q1 fiscal 2026 net sales, gross profit, and SG&A analysis (filed 2026-02-05)
- Removed facility closure cost impact explanations for first quarter (filed 2026-02-05)
- Removed selling and delivery expense breakdown for Q1 (filed 2026-02-05)
- Notes:
- The two filings cover different fiscal quarters: the newer filing (2026-05-07) presents Q2 FY2026 results ending March 28, 2026, while the older filing (2026-02-05) presented Q1 FY2026 results ending December 27, 2025
- The 'Our Company' section and fiscal 2025 summary remain identical between filings
- Changes reflect the natural progression of quarterly reporting rather than restatements of prior periods
Risk Factors
- Added:
- Added bullet point in newer filing (2026-05-07): 'the impact of the new pet distribution partnership on our financial results and ability to distribute and promote our pet branded products'
- Added language in newer filing (2026-05-07): 'and our ability to receive tariff refunds' to the tariffs/trade war risk factor
- Reworded:
- Older filing (2026-02-05) stated 'impacts of further tariffs or a trade war'; newer filing (2026-05-07) expanded to 'impacts of further tariffs or a trade war and our ability to receive tariff refunds'
- Notes:
- The two filings cover different reporting periods (March 28, 2026 vs. December 27, 2025 in balance sheets and different quarterly periods in operations statements), but the Risk Factors section comparison is valid as requested
- The financial statements sections differ significantly due to different fiscal periods covered, but this is expected and not a change in disclosed risks
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
No open-market insider purchases or sales recorded in the last 90 days.
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-02-19. As of 2026-08-24.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about CENTA's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Congressional trading disclosures
U.S. House members publicly disclose their own, their spouse's, and dependent children's stock transactions under the STOCK Act. We hold 2 matched disclosures for CENTA from U.S. House Clerk Periodic Transaction Report filings.
Congressional trading disclosures →Institutional ownership (13F)
5 institutional 13F filers reported holding CENTA as of 2026-03-31 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 5
- Reported shares held 10,640,512
- Reported value $344,965,384
reported quarterly holdings change (2025-12-31 → 2026-03-31): 0 new, 1 increased, 4 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Short interest (FINRA)
CENTA had 1,148,558 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
Short interest as a percent of shares outstanding is not shown for CENTA because we do not hold a verified share count to divide it by. The reported figures above are unaffected.
- Reported short interest (shares) 1,148,558
- Prior settlement (shares) 1,180,237
- Reported change -2.68%
- Days to cover (reported) 4.55
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
Compare CENTA vs…
Frequently asked questions
What does CENTRAL GARDEN AND PET CLASS A (CENTA) do?
Central Garden & Pet Company produces and distributes a broad portfolio of pet and lawn and garden products under a variety of owned and licensed brands. The company operates through two primary segments: Pet, which includes supplies for dogs, cats, small animals, birds, and fish, and Garden, which focuses on lawn care, garden control, and wild bird feed.
What sector is CENTRAL GARDEN AND PET CLASS A (CENTA) in?
CENTRAL GARDEN AND PET CLASS A (CENTA) is classified in the Consumer Staples sector. Its industry is consumer products. It trades on NASDAQ.
Who are CENTRAL GARDEN AND PET CLASS A's (CENTA) competitors?
Notable peers of CENTRAL GARDEN AND PET CLASS A (CENTA) include Spectrum Brands, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Petco, PetSmart and Chewy. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Has there been recent Congressional stock trading in CENTA?
Yes — we hold 2 matched STOCK Act disclosures for CENTA from U.S. House Clerk Periodic Transaction Report filings. These are legally-required disclosures (often filed 30–45 days after the trade), may belong to a U.S. House member, their spouse, or a dependent child, and are not an indicator of company performance or investment advice.
Is CENTRAL GARDEN AND PET CLASS A (CENTA) overbought or oversold right now?
CENTRAL GARDEN AND PET CLASS A (CENTA) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 51, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-08-21). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on CENTA come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-24; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-21.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.