Also trades as CENT.
CENTA
BuyUnloved QualityAI screen passCentral Garden & Pet Company · Consumer Defensive · United States · $2.1B cap · $11.0M/day traded
$35.30 +0.9% · close 12 Oct · scored 14 Oct
StockRank down 3.2 since 13 Oct: Momentum down 3.
Unloved Quality: Strong and cheap; the market has not turned yet.
As of 14 Oct 2026, MoatMap's StockRank for Central Garden & Pet Company (CENTA) is 74/100, ranked against 24,000+ stocks in 35 markets (Quality 58, Value 63, Momentum 47, each scored against its sector).
Does StockRank work? Each month we publish how every decile did, whichever way it went. See the record →
Central Garden and Pet clears stage one on an active buyback with all three legs above the floor (Q56 V59 M74) and momentum leading. Pet consumables are the more defensive end of consumer spending, which holds up better under the squeezed-consumer theme than discretionary durables, and nothing adverse is on file.
The ranks quoted here are from the day it was written; today's Quality, Value and Momentum are the bars above.
ABOUT CENTRAL GARDEN & PET COMPANY
Read
Central Garden & Pet Company is a leading innovator and marketer of branded products for the lawn and garden, and pet supply industries, encompassing items like grass seeds, pet food, and aquatics. The company holds strong market positions across various niche categories due to its diverse brand portfolio and broad distribution channels. Its ability to acquire and integrate brands provides a competitive advantage in evergreen consumer categories.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY (USD)
| Year | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | CAGR | TTM | 2026E | 2027E | Fwd CAGR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 3.3B | 3.3B | 3.2B | 3.1B | -2.1% | 3.1B | 3.0B | 3.0B | -2.1% |
| EPS | 2.29 | 1.92 | 1.64 | 2.58 | 4.1% | 2.70 | 2.81 | 2.89 | 5.8% |
| Shares | 67.8M | 67.2M | 67.1M | 62.9M | -7.3% | 51.3M | — | — | — |
| Debt | 1.4B | 1.4B | 1.4B | 1.4B | 1.4% | 1.4B | — | — | — |
| Equity | 1.3B | 1.5B | 1.6B | 1.6B | 5.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Op CF | -34.0M | 381.6M | 394.9M | 332.5M | -6.7% | 390.3M | — | — | — |
| Inv CF | -143.0M | -34.6M | -105.2M | -44.9M | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fin CF | -66.8M | -37.6M | -25.4M | -156.6M | — | — | — | — | — |
Above its 200-day average and 13% below its 52-week high.
The Momentum score still reads 47: it weighs six months of price and earnings revisions, so it trails a turn like this.
Calmer than 82% of stocks we rank over the past year (25% a year).
How this is worked out
StockRank judges the business. The price check reads only the chart: it is the price side of the Momentum score, in words.
The rules: Still falling is a new 52-week low in the last two weeks, at least 25% below the high. Finding a floor is no new low since. Turning up is 20 or more trading days without a new low, at least 10% off it, and back above a rising 50-day average. In an uptrend is above the 200-day average and within 15% of the high.
In 2,112 US drawdowns since 2001, buying while the price was still falling was followed by a further 20% drop 42% of the time. Waiting for a turn like this one cut that to 33%, at about 7% higher prices and with no better returns. Part of that cut is simply not buying: 13% of falls never turned, and waiting kept those out. Among turns that were bought, 38% still fell another 20%, and 33% of turns were followed by a new low within six months. The benefit was largest in crashes such as 2008 and 2020.
What it measures: day-to-day price moves over the past year, as a yearly figure, ranked against every stock we cover. Very calm under 20% a year, Calm 20 to 30%, Average 30 to 40%, Bumpy 40 to 55%, Very bumpy above that.
What we found: across about 13,500 stocks in 34 markets (2002 to 2025), past swings were a good guide to the next year's, and bumpier stocks fell further. How much further changed too much between eras to put a number on it.
Calm is not safe: a calm stock can still slide steadily.
Rules fixed before any data was fetched. Describes the chart, not a recommendation.
SCORE BREAKDOWN
FUNDAMENTALS
SECTOR PEERS
Closest peers in Consumer Defensive, ranked by industry match, size, and score similarity. Cross-listings of CENTA are excluded.
| Ticker | Company | Mkt Cap | StockRank | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CENTA | Central Garden & Pet Company(you) | $2.1B | 74 | Buy |
| HLF | Herbalife Ltd. | $1.2B | 79 | Buy |
| BRBR | BellRing Brands, Inc. | $981M | 74 | Buy |
| MZTI | The Marzetti Company | $2.8B | 60 | Hold |
| JJSF | J&J Snack Foods Corp. | $1.5B | 55 | Hold |
| SENEA | Seneca Foods Corporation | $1.2B | 94 | Strong Buy |
| INGR | Ingredion Incorporated | $6.1B | 63 | Hold |
| LW | Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. | $6.2B | 63 | Hold |
| SFD | Smithfield Foods, Inc. | $7.5B | 63 | Hold |
| FRPT | Freshpet, Inc. | $2.8B | 42 | Hold |
Peer medians: ROE 12.2% · P/E 21.5x · Gross margin 37.4%
Company Deep Dive
Business segments breakdown, earnings transcript analysis, management credibility scoring, competitive landscape, and scenario modelling.