Central Garden (CENT) Surpasses Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates

Core Viewpoint - Central Garden (CENT) reported quarterly earnings of $0.21 per share, significantly exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of$0.03 per share, marking an 800% earnings surprise [1][2]. Financial Performance - The company achieved revenues of $656.44 million for the quarter ended December 2024, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.15$634.53 million year-over-year [3]. - Over the last four quarters, Central Garden has consistently surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times and revenue estimates two times [2][3]. Stock Performance and Outlook - Central Garden shares have declined approximately 5.2% since the beginning of the year, contrasting with the S&P 500's gain of 2.7% [4]. - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $1.01 on revenues of$904.71 million, and for the current fiscal year, it is $2.22 on revenues of$3.23 billion [8]. Industry Context - The Consumer Products - Discretionary industry, to which Central Garden belongs, is currently ranked in the bottom 40% of over 250 Zacks industries, indicating potential challenges ahead [9]. - The performance of Central Garden's stock may be influenced by the overall outlook for the industry, as research indicates that the top 50% of Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by more than 2 to 1 [9].