Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Central Garden & Pet (CENT) Q4 Earnings: What's in Store?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT - Free Report) is slated to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2016 results on Dec 1. The big question facing investors is, whether this producer and marketer of lawn & garden products as well as pet supplies will be able to deliver a positive earnings surprise in the quarter to be reported. In the trailing four quarters, the company outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 60.3%. Let’s see how things are shaping up for this announcement.

Zacks Model Shows Unlikely Earnings Beat

Our proven model does not conclusively show that Central Garden & Pet is likely to beat estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) for this to happen.

Central Garden & Pet has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% as the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate both stand at 5 cents. The company carries a Zacks Rank #3, which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, the company’s ESP of 0.00% makes surprise prediction difficult. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Factors Influencing This Quarter

Organic growth, value accretive acquisitions such as that of the pet bedding business and divestment of non-strategic assets have been aiding Central Garden & Pet’s performance. These initiatives have helped the company to post better-than-expected earnings for the eighth-successive quarter.

Management anticipates its ongoing transformation efforts to yield results in the near future. The company intends to gain market share in the home centers, mass market, grocery, specialty pet store and other independent channels.

However, analysts remain concerned about the wild bird feed business, which had not been so impressive in the second and third quarter and may weigh on results in the quarter to be reported.

CENTRAL GARDEN Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

CENTRAL GARDEN Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | CENTRAL GARDEN Quote

Other Stocks That Warrant a Look

Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat:

Sanderson Farms, Inc. has an Earnings ESP of +4.48% and sports a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Ascena Retail Group Inc. carries a Zacks Rank #3 and has an Earnings ESP of +14.29%.

Express Inc. has an Earnings ESP of + 8.33% and also carries a Zacks Rank #3.

Zacks’ Best Private Investment Ideas

In addition to the recommendations that are available to the public on our website, how would you like to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time?

Our experts cover all kinds of trades… from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Starting today, for the next month, you can have unrestricted access. Click here for Zacks' private trades >>


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT) - free report >>

Published in