← BackCENTRAL GARDEN & PET CO · Miscellaneous Nondurable GoodsCENT
Low riskNext report: Around Nov 23 (est.)
The short versionA profitable company with shrinking sales. Institutions are adding.
Going well
- Profitable every year for 10 years
- Brings in more cash than it spends
- Buying back shares: share count down 6.2% in 3 years
Money moves
- No insider buying or selling in the last 30 days
- Institutions added 3.9% to their holdings in the quarter ending June 2026 (100 bought, 63 sold)
Facts from SEC filings, not a recommendation.
The business over time
Last 12 quarters, from SEC filings
Sales, Jun '26$882.4M-8.2% vs a year earlier
Sep '23Tap a barJun '26
Last 12 months: $3.1B, down 1.2% from the 12 months before. Over 5 years, sales grew about 3.0% a year.
Business quality
The checklist Warren Buffett-style investors use. Annual numbers for 2025.- MissReturn on equity 15%+Earns a lot on the money owners have in the business.10.5%
- MissDebt under half of equityNot relying on borrowed money.0.76x equity
- MissNet margin 10%+Keeps at least 10 cents of profit from each dollar of sales.5.2%
- PassProfitable every yearSteady profits, not one good year.10 of 10 years
- PassFree cash flow positiveBrings in more cash than it spends to run and grow.$291.1M
- PassShare count not growingNot diluting owners. Falling means buybacks.-6.2% in 3 years
- MissGross margin 40%+Pricing power: sells for well above what it costs to make.31.9%
- Revenue
- $3.1B
- -2.2% vs prior year
- 5-year growth
- +3.0%/yr
- revenue, per year
- Total debt
- $1.2B
- 0.76x equity
- Current ratio
- 3.42x
- short-term assets / bills due
From annual reports filed with the SEC. A checklist is a starting point for research, not a verdict.
Latest quarter
Quarter ended Jun 27, 2026- Revenue
- $882.4M
- -8.2% YoY
- EPS
- $1.45
- vs $1.52
- Op. margin
- 14.3%
- +0.2 pts
- Gross margin
- 35.9%
- +1.3 pts
- Free cash flow
- $314.9M
- Share count
- -1.1%
- vs a year ago
Insider rating
Last 90 days
No open-market insider buys or sells in the last 90 days.
Weekly insider trendNo trades to chart yet.
Filing buzz
Last 7 days vs normal
0/ 100
- This week
- 1
- Normal week
- 1.2
- vs normal
- 0.9x
SEC filings of any kind. 50 means a normal week.
Institutional ownership
▲Accumulating+3.9%Institutions added 3.9% to their holdings. 100 bought, 63 sold.
Shares held by institutions9.3M
Sep '24Jun '26
Share count growthYearly rate, last 3 years
-2.4%Cash runwayAt last year's cash burn
Cash flow positiveDebt to equityLatest balance sheet: debt compared with what owners have
0.7x · $1.2B debtShares outstandingLatest reported
62MNext reportAround Nov 23 (est.)Estimated from the same quarter last year
- Results filedAug 5
- Results filedMay 6
- Results filedFeb 4
- Results filedNov 24, 2025
- Results filedAug 6, 2025
Insider trades
Open-market buys and sells, last 90 days
No open-market buys or sells in 90 days. Grants and option exercises are left out.
"Owns after" is the insider's holding right after the trade. Pre-planned (10b5-1) sales are set up months ahead, a weaker signal.
Latest filings
Straight from SEC EDGAR
Other transferWilliam E BrownChairman, Director, 10% owner
1,000 shares
- +0% of holdings
- Now owns 349,259 shares
- Held by Irrevocable Trusts
- Filed 4 days after trade
SoldWilliam E BrownChairman, Director, 10% owner
3,900 shares at $39.00 · $152K
- -1% of holdings
- Now owns 350,259 shares
- Not a pre-planned sale
- Held by Irrevocable Trusts
- Filed 4 days after trade
GiftBrooks Iii PenningtonDirector
5,800 shares
- +5% of holdings
- Now owns 123,106 shares
- Filed 5 days after trade
SoldJohn D. Iii WalkerPresident, Garden Consumer Pro
10,000 shares at $38.75 avg ($38.50 to $39.00) · $388K
- -14% of holdings
- Now owns 59,679 shares
- Not a pre-planned sale
- 2 transactions
- Filed same day
Option exerciseWilliam E BrownChairman, Director, 10% owner
127,942 shares at $31.18 · $4.0M
- +14% of holdings
- Now owns 1,065,490 shares
- Exercise price $31.18
- Filed 2 days after trade
- Also: Shares withheld for taxes
Other transferWilliam E BrownChairman, Director, 10% owner
20,117 shares
- +6% of holdings
- Now owns 354,159 shares
- Held by Irrevocable Trusts
- 2 transactions
- Filed 69 days after trade