CENTCENTConsumer Defensive · Packaged Foods

CENT Stock Forecast: Central Garden & Pet Co. Price Predictions for 2026-2027

Last close, 14 Oct 2026
$41
+0.07% on the day

The 5 Wall Street analysts covering Central Garden & Pet Co. hold a median 12-month price target of $53 — +28.3% from the last close. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model, run across ~4,600 US stocks, ranks it 96 of 100 as at 14 Oct 2026 — among the strongest tenth. Here, the model and the Street point the same way.

Market cap
$2.6B
Ticker Nerd rank
96 / 100
Median analyst target
$53
Analysts covering
5
Revenue$882.4M−8.2% y/y
Operating income$125.8M
Net income$90.0M
Free cash flow$314.9M
Quarterly, 8 quarters to 30 June 2026 · latest quarter's figure shown
Total return, dividends reinvested
1W
+2.9%
1M
+3.0%
YTD
+28.5%
1Y
+40.2%
From 52W high
−11.2%
From 52W low
+40.2%
$29
$47
52-week range, adjusted closes · the dot is the last close
Ticker Nerd rank

CENT stock analysis: one number for the whole business

Consensus tells you what everyone already believes. The model scores Central Garden & Pet Co. on its factor families — the same systematic rank behind the Ticker Nerd portfolio.

Where the model ranks itAs at 14 Oct 2026
96 / 100

Percentile across ~4,600 US stocks on Ticker Nerd’s systematic factor model. Higher is better. How the model is built and tested

Volatility
97
Value
86
Quality
83
Accruals
82
Revisions
77
Issuance
76
Momentum
68
Growth
57
Size
32

Volatility (97): The share price has been relatively steady.

Growth (57): Sales and profits are flat, shrinking, or growing more slowly than they were.

Size (32): Larger than most of the companies we track — more scrutinised, less often mispriced.

Built and run by Aslam Ghouse, an ex-Goldman Sachs quant trader with fourteen years in markets.

Wall Street

CENT stock forecast 2026-2027: analyst price targets & predictions

The bullish and bearish analyst opinions on CENT, reported as data — targets and ratings, the market's view beside the model's.

Share price and the analyst range, 12 monthsAdjusted close, US dollars
$30$40$50$60Jan 26Apr 26Jul 26Oct 26CENTHigh $60Median $53Low $46

Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Data provided by Twelve Data

What Wall Street says5 analysts
4 Buy0 Hold1 Sell
Low $46Median $53High $60

The green dot is the last close — the median target sits +28.3% from it.

Recent analyst actionsNewest first
DateFirmActionRatingTarget
7 May 2026Canaccord GenuityMaintainsBuy$51 → $54
25 Nov 2025Canaccord GenuityMaintainsBuy—
26 Nov 2024Canaccord GenuityMaintainsBuy—
16 Oct 2024Truist SecuritiesMaintainsBuy—
30 Sept 2024Canaccord GenuityMaintainsBuy—
1 July 2024Canaccord GenuityMaintainsBuy—
28 May 2024Argus ResearchUpgradeBuy—
12 Mar 2024Canaccord GenuityInitiatesBuy—
9 Feb 2024Truist SecuritiesMaintainsBuy—
21 Sept 2023Truist SecuritiesReiteratesBuy—
3 Aug 2023KeybancMaintainsOverweight—
19 Apr 2023JP MorganMaintainsNeutral—
19 Apr 2023KeybancMaintainsOverweight—
19 Apr 2023Truist SecuritiesMaintainsBuy—
13 Jan 2023JP MorganMaintainsOverweight—
22 Nov 2022JP MorganMaintainsNeutral—
22 Nov 2022KeybancMaintainsOverweight—
13 Oct 2022JP MorganMaintainsNeutral—
25 Aug 2022CJS SecuritiesInitiatesMarket Outperform—
8 Aug 2022Truist SecuritiesMaintainsBuy—

Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Market Radar

This page is one stock. Monday covers all of them.

Computed off the Friday close and sent before the US open.

Market Radar reports the week’s largest rank changes across roughly 4,600 US stocks, the factor behind each one, and where the market went. CENT appears on the weeks it earns a place.

Free, every Monday. Unsubscribe any time.

Performance

CENT vs the S&P 500

Both lines are total return — dividends reinvested — so the comparison is honest on both sides.

Over the twelve months to 14 Oct 2026, Central Garden & Pet Co. returned +40.2% against +17.5% for the S&P 500, dividends included.

CENT vs S&P 500, last 12 monthsTotal return, rebased to 100
100110120130140150160Jan 26Apr 26Jul 26Oct 26CENTS&P 500

Download this chart as an image — free to reuse; link this page as the source.

Data provided by Twelve Data

Estimates

CENT analyst estimate revisions

Not the forecast itself — the direction analysts are revising it. Revision direction is one of the model's factor families.

Fundamentals

Central Garden & Pet Co. (CENT) financial data

A margin means little on its own. Each bar marks where the figure sits across the whole US universe we score.

Valuation
Trailing P/E
15.3×

Cheaper than 45% of US stocks

Price / sales
0.8×

Cheaper than 72% of US stocks

Price / book
1.5×

Cheaper than 53% of US stocks

EV / EBITDA
8.8×

Cheaper than 42% of US stocks

Growth & margins
Revenue growth (YoY)
−8.2%

Higher than 17% of US stocks

Earnings growth (YoY)
−5.4%

Higher than 30% of US stocks

Gross margin
35.9%

Higher than 44% of US stocks

Operating margin
14.3%

Higher than 71% of US stocks

Net margin
5.4%

Higher than 61% of US stocks

Returns & dividend
Return on equity
10.0%

Higher than 63% of US stocks

Return on assets
4.3%

Higher than 73% of US stocks

Dividend yield
0.0%

Higher than 1% of US dividend payers

Bars mark the percentile across the ~4,600 US stocks Ticker Nerd covers, among those reporting the figure.

Key statistics

Central Garden & Pet Co. (CENT) statistics: revenue, profit & scale

The headline figures, each with its date. Every row carries its own link — cite it straight from here.

  • Central Garden & Pet Co. has a market value of $2.6B and an enterprise value of $3.0B.

  • Revenue in the twelve months to 30 June 2026: $3.1B. The latest quarter shrank 8.2% year on year.

  • Net income over the same four quarters: $166.4M, a 5.4% net margin.

  • Diluted earnings per share, trailing twelve months: $2.68.

  • Free cash flow in the twelve months to 30 June 2026: $345.6M.

  • Central Garden & Pet Co. spent $29.2M on share buybacks in the twelve months to 30 June 2026.

  • Shares outstanding: 62.5M.

  • Trailing P/E: 15.3×; forward P/E: 13.5× — the forward figure prices analyst consensus estimates, not reported earnings.

  • Forward dividend yield: 0.00%, paying out 0% of earnings.

  • Central Garden & Pet Co. employs 6,000 people — $514K of revenue per employee.

Statement figures: company filings via Twelve Data, four quarters to 30 June 2026 · market figures as at 13 Oct 2026

Data provided by Twelve Data

Peers

CENT vs competitors

The nearest names by industry and size, scored by the same model — like for like.

Its peer group, ranked by the same modelPackaged Foods
CompanyMarket capTKN rank
CENTCentral Garden & Pet Co.$2.6B
96
CENTACentral Garden & Pet Co.$2.2B
—
MZTIThe Marzetti Co.$2.8B
38
UTZUTZ Brands, Inc.$2.0B
50
FRPTFreshpet, Inc.$3.3B
65
NOMDNomad Foods Ltd.$1.7B
66
POSTPost Holdings, Inc.$3.5B
59

Look up any of the roughly 4,600 stocks we score.

The rank is the raw material. Whether the rules would actually own Central Garden & Pet Co. — and when they’d sell — is the membership. See the Ticker Nerd 20 →

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about CENT stock

What is the CENT stock price forecast for 2026-2027?

The 5 Wall Street analysts covering Central Garden & Pet Co. have a median 12-month price target of $53, with estimates ranging from $46 to $60. These are third-party analyst estimates, not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Is CENT stock a buy right now?

Of the 5 analysts covering Central Garden & Pet Co., 4 rate it a Buy, 0 a Hold and 1 a Sell. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model ranks Central Garden & Pet Co. 96 out of 100 across roughly 4,600 US stocks as at 14 Oct 2026. None of this is personal advice — it does not consider your circumstances.

How does Ticker Nerd's model rank CENT?

As at 14 Oct 2026, Central Garden & Pet Co. ranks 96 out of 100 on Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model — a percentile across roughly 4,600 US stocks, built from its factor families. Its strongest factor family is Volatility (97 of 100).

Will CENT stock go up?

No one can know that. What the data says: the median 12-month target from 5 analysts implies +28.3% from the last close, and Ticker Nerd's factor model ranks Central Garden & Pet Co. 96 out of 100 as at 14 Oct 2026. Analyst targets are third-party estimates and frequently wrong; none of this is personal advice.

What is the CENT stock forecast for 2030?

No analyst covering Central Garden & Pet Co. publishes a 2030 price target — Wall Street targets run 12 to 18 months out. Sites quoting a 2030 price for CENT are extrapolating price history, which says nothing about the business. The furthest attributed numbers are the current analyst targets: $46 to $60 over the next 12 months.

How has CENT stock performed over the past year?

Central Garden & Pet Co. returned +40.2% over the 12 months to 14 Oct 2026, with dividends reinvested. Past performance does not indicate future returns.

What does Central Garden & Pet Co. do?

Central Garden & Pet Company is a consumer goods company focused on the pet and garden markets. Central Garden & Pet Company designs, produces, and distributes a broad portfolio of branded and private label products for pet care and lawn and garden use.

Company

About Central Garden & Pet Co.

Central Garden & Pet Company is a consumer goods company focused on the pet and garden markets. Central Garden & Pet Company designs, produces, and distributes a broad portfolio of branded and private label products for pet care and lawn and garden use. Its Pet segment includes supplies for dogs and cats, small animals, aquatics, birds, reptiles, and livestock, along with grooming, containment, health, and training products. Its Garden segment covers seed, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, birding accessories, live plants, and other outdoor living items. Central Garden & Pet Company serves a wide range of retail and wholesale channels, including big-box stores, regional chains, independent distributors, eCommerce sellers, grocery stores, nurseries, and mass merchants. Based in Walnut Creek, California, it plays a significant role in supplying everyday household, hobby, and outdoor care products across North America.

CEO Mr. Nicholas Lahanas · 6,000 employees · United States · https://www.central.com