Central Garden & Pet Q1 Earnings Smashes Estimates, Lifts Stock, But Retail Sentiment Lags

Shares of Central Garden & Pet Company ($CENT) rose more than 2% in after-hours trading Wednesday following the company’s strong first-quarter earnings and 2025 outlook, but retail sentiment lagged the price uptick.

Central Garden’s first quarter net sales came in at $656 million, up 3% from the prior year, beating estimates of $630.45 million, according to Stocktwits data.

Earnings per share stood at $0.21 compared with $0.01 a year earlier, beating Wall Street estimates of loss per share of $0.02. Net income was $14 million compared to $0.4 million in the prior year.

For 2025, Central reaffirmed its outlook for non-GAAP EPS to be $2.20 or above.

“The fiscal year is off to a strong start, driven by increased first quarter shipments, productivity gains and easing inflation, all contributing to growth in both our top and bottom line,” said Niko Lahanas, CEO of Central Garden & Pet. “We are encouraged by our first quarter performance, but recognize this period is typically our smallest quarter and benefited from the favorable timing of shipments and promotional activities. We remain confident in our fiscal year outlook and committed to executing our Central to Home strategy with excellence.”

Message activity on Stocktwits was in the ‘low’ zone, despite the company’s impressive quarterly performance and outlook.

According to a company statement, its pet segment operating income grew to $51 million from $43 million a year ago, with operating margins expanding by 140 basis points to 12.0% from 10.6% in the prior-year quarter.

Central Garden’s brands include Amdro, Aqueon, Cadet, C&S, and Ferry-Morse, among others.

Central Garden stock is down 4% year-to-date.

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