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US maker and distributor of lawn/garden products and pet supplies sold through mass and specialty retailers.
US maker and distributor of lawn/garden products and pet supplies sold through mass and specialty retailers.
Pet supplies provide steady demand all year, while garden products are seasonal, peaking in spring and depending on the weather. Two giant retailers account for a large share of sales, which gives buyers bargaining power. It has grown by buying brands, and its founder keeps voting control through a separate share class.
Moat: narrow (brand, scale, distribution). Portfolio of leading pet and garden brands with broad retail distribution relationships.
Headquarters: Walnut Creek, California, US · Founded: 1955 · Employees: 6,000
Size Central Garden & Pet (CENT) is a United States Consumer Staples company (Consumer Sundries) with a market value of $2.64B, the 1621st largest of 3,117 United States companies the cockpit tracks. Shares closed at $47.78 on 6 Nov 2026.
Performance Over six months the shares gained 25.3%, against -1.3% for the median peer and -1.1% for the United States market (cap-weighted) — 2nd highest of 7 in its peer set.
Growth Revenue fell 1.2% over the last twelve months (peer median +3.0%); the operating margin is 8.8% (peer median 10.8%).
Valuation It trades at 16.0× forward earnings against a peer median of 15.6× (3rd most expensive of 6).
Price implies For today's price to make sense, revenue must grow about -4% a year for seven years (Req g). Recent delivered growth is +3%, so the hurdle is -7 pp: the price already allows for a slowdown.
Capital Return on invested capital runs 2.9 points above its cost of capital (7.1% WACC).
Credit Central Garden & Pet has 3 bonds outstanding ($1.20B), rated BB by the agencies and trading like BBB- at a weighted spread of 117 bp.
Short interest Short interest is 3.8% of the free float (15 Oct 2026).
Next results Next results expected around 30 Nov 2026 (exchange calendar; dates can move).
| TTM | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $3.08B | $3.13B | $3.20B | $3.31B | $3.34B |
| Revenue growth | — | -2% | -3% | -1% | — |
| Gross profit | $978M | $973M | $926M | $912M | $957M |
| EBITDA | $353M | $350M | $314M | $350M | $390M |
| Net income | $166M | $163M | $108M | $126M | $152M |
| Free cash flow | $343M | $291M | $352M | $328M | -$152M |
| Capital expenditure | $44.7M | $41.4M | $43.1M | $54.0M | $115M |
| Total debt | $1.41B | $1.44B | $1.42B | $1.37B | $1.38B |
The default views of Competitor Analysis ▸ Charts, drawn from the same data. Open them in the cockpit to change the axes, pin companies and read every value.
| Company | Market cap | 6M return | Revenue growth | Op. margin | Forward P/E | Req g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Garden & Pet CENT | $2.64B | +25% | -1% | 9% | 16.0× | -4.0% |
| Spectrum Brands SPB | $1.99B | +6% | +1% | 9% | 17.1× | -2.5% |
| Scotts Miracle-Gro SMG | $3.77B | +6% | -4% | 14% | 13.6× | 7.5% |
| Church & Dwight CHD | $25.8B | +17% | +2% | 18% | 27.4× | 6.9% |
Peer set: Industry: the same industry and sector in any market, nearest in size. This is the same default set the interactive Competitor Analysis opens with.
| Measure | CENT | Peer median | Rank in peer set |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-month return | +17.8% | +5.1% | highest of 7 |
| 6-month return | +25.3% | -1.3% | 2nd highest of 7 |
| Distance from 52-week high | -3.1% | -23.6% | highest of 7 |
| Revenue growth (TTM) | -1.2% | +3.0% | 3rd lowest of 7 |
| Operating margin | 8.8% | 10.8% | 3rd lowest of 7 |
| Forward P/E | 16.0× | 15.6× | 3rd most expensive of 6 |
| Growth the price implies (Req g, 7 yrs) | -4.0% | -1.5% | 3rd least demanding of 7 |
| Growth delivered (Del g) | +3.0% | +13.2% | 2nd lowest of 7 |
| Hurdle (Req g minus delivered) | -7.1 pp | -14.7 pp | 3rd most demanding of 7 |
| ROIC minus cost of capital | +2.9 pp | +4.5 pp | 4th highest of 7 |
| EV / EBITDA | 8.6× | 8.2× | 3rd cheapest of 5 |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 1.1× | 1.4× | 3rd least indebted of 5 |
| Bond spread | 117 bp | n/a | — |
| Company | Market | Market cap | 6M return | Revenue growth | Op. margin | Forward P/E | Req g | Delivered g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Garden & Pet CENT | United States | $2.64B | +25% | -1% | 9% | 16.0× | -4.0% | +3.0% |
| Welspun Living WELSPUNLIV.NS | India | $2.41B | +82% | +5% | 8% | 35.5× | 32.4% | +5.0% |
| Shanghai M&G Stationery 603899.SS | China | $3.21B | -4% | +5% | 6% | 15.6× | -2.8% | +13.8% |
| Anhui Korrun 300577.SZ | China | $678M | -11% | +1% | 10% | 12.1× | -4.3% | +20.3% |
| Prada 1913.HK | Hong Kong | $13.1B | +1% | +15% | 20% | 15.6× | -6.4% | +18.6% |
| Kering KER.PA | France | $25.7B | -23% | -9% | 11% | 30.9× | 12.2% | +2.3% |
| Christian Dior CDI.PA | France | $89.3B | +2% | -4% | 22% | n/a | -0.3% | +12.6% |
Central Garden & Pet has 3 bonds outstanding with $1.20B face value. The agencies rate it BB; its bonds trade like BBB-. Weighted yield 5.73%, a spread of 117 bp over government bonds.