Central Garden & Pet Company
Rank #263Capital ReturnCENTA · Nasdaq · Consumer Defensive
Central Garden & Pet Company (CENTA) — Rank #263 by gross profitability (GP/assets 0.26) · ROE 9.3% · Piotroski F-Score 8 / 9.
As-of 2026-09-15 · CIK 0000887733 · all metrics point-in-time as of the filing date.
About
Central Garden & Pet Company produces and distributes various products for the lawn and garden, and pet supplies markets in the United States.
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It operates through two segments: Pet and Garden. The Pet segment provides dog and cat supplies, such as dog treats and chews, toys, pet beds and containment, grooming items, waste management, and training pads; supplies for aquatics, small animals, reptiles, and pet birds, including toys, enclosures, habitats, bedding, and food and supplements; products for equine and livestock; animal and household health and insect control products; aquariums and terrariums, including fixtures and stands, water conditioners and supplements, water pumps and filters, and lighting systems and accessories; and live fish and small animals, as well as outdoor cushions. This segment sells its products under the Aqueon, Cadet, Comfort Zone, Farnam, Four Paws, K&H Pet Products, Kaytee, Nylabone, and Zilla brands. Its Garden segment offers lawn and garden supplies products that include grass seed; vegetable; flower and herb packet seed; wild bird feed, bird feeders, bird houses, and other birding accessories; fertilizers; decorative products; live plants; and weed and grass, as well as other herbicides, insecticide, and pesticide products. This segment sells its lawn and garden supplies products under the Amdro, Ferry-Morse, Pennington, and Sevin brands. The company sells its products to independent distributors, big-box retailers, national and regional retail chains, eCommerce and online retailers, grocery stores, nurseries, and mass merchants.
Central Garden & Pet Company was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Walnut Creek, California.
- Industry
- Packaged Foods
- Sector
- Consumer Defensive
- State
- DE
- Filer Category
- Large accelerated filer
- Fiscal Year End
- September 27
- Website
- central.com
Financials
Each fiscal year is read as-of that year’s own 10-K filing, so nothing restated after the fact leaks backwards. Line items this filer never tagged are omitted. Hover or tap a badge for the diagnostic behind it.
| Fiscal year end | 2025-09-27filed 2025-11-26 | 2024-09-28filed 2024-11-27 | 2023-09-30filed 2023-11-28 | 2022-09-24filed 2022-11-22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating | ||||
| Depreciation & amortization | 84.9 | 90.8 | 87.7 | 80.9 |
| Stock-based compensation | 21.1 | 20.6 | 28.0 | 25.8 |
| Change in receivables | (0.6) | (11.9) | (44.0) | (7.0) |
| Change in inventory | (31.3) | (84.3) | (87.0) | 256.4 |
| Change in payables | 20.1 | 18.4 | (20.0) | (31.2) |
| Operating cash flow | 332.5 | 394.9 | 381.6 | (34.0) |
| Investing | ||||
| Capital expenditures | 41.4 | 43.1 | 54.0 | 115.2 |
| Acquisitions, net of cash | 3.3 | 60.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Investing cash flow | (44.9) | (105.2) | (34.6) | (143.0) |
| Financing | ||||
| Debt issued | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Debt repaid | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.1 |
| Share repurchases | 155.1 | 24.1 | 37.2 | 62.3 |
| Financing cash flow | (156.6) | (25.4) | (37.6) | (66.8) |
| Summary | ||||
| Free cash flow | 291.1 | 351.8 | 327.7 | (149.2) |
Figures are as originally filed with the SEC (point-in-time), not restated, so they can differ slightly from sites that show later-restated numbers. Why point-in-time?