Central Garden & Pet Co (CENTA) shareholders
CENTANasdaqWholesale-Miscellaneous Nondurable GoodsFiscal year ends September 27Also trades as CENT
Financials through Q3 FY2026, quarter ended Jun 27, 2026Last filing: 10-Q on Aug 6, 2026Score 15/3021% below fair value
$39.12+0.33 (+0.85%)
Close on Oct 30, 2026Market cap $2.16BP/E 12.9Yield –
Ownership
Institutional holdings as of Jun 30, 2026, from 13F filings
Held by institutions
95.2%
49M of 51M shares
Institutional holders
285
42 new, 24 sold out
Net institutional buying
1M
In Q2 2026
Insider trades, 12 months
0 buys · 7 sales
Net sold $1.26M
Shares held by institutions
Holders of more than 5%
Latest Schedule 13D (active) or 13G (passive) filed by each holder
| Holder | Shares | % of class | Filing | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Portfolio Management | 3,502,876 | 6.87% | 13G (passive) | Mar 31, 2026 |
| Pacer Advisors, Inc. Joint filing with Pacer US Small Cap Cash Cows ETF (26.71%), Joe M. Thomson (26.71%) | 2,862,334 | 26.71% | 13G (passive) | Dec 31, 2024 |
| American Century Companies, Inc. Joint filing with American Century Investment Management, Inc. (5.10%), Stowers Institute for Medical Research (5.10%) | 2,598,623 | 5.10% | 13G (passive) | Jun 30, 2026 |
| BlackRock, Inc. | 1,485,825 | 13.90% | 13G (passive) amendment | Mar 31, 2025 |
| Allspring Global Investments Holdings, LLC | 811,192 | 7.60% | 13G (passive) amendment | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Dimensional Fund Advisors LP | 773,566 | 7.00% | 13G (passive) amendment | Dec 29, 2023 |
| Vanguard Capital Management | 617,534 | 6.39% | 13G (passive) | Mar 31, 2026 |
Top institutional holders
13F holdings as of Jun 30, 2026
| Holder | Shares | % of CENTA | Value | Change | % of portfolio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BlackRock, Inc. | 8,357,836 | 16.28% | $324.03M | +366,208 | 0.00% |
| Vanguard Portfolio Management LLC | 3,460,935 | 6.74% | $134.18M | +36,257 | 0.01% |
| Dimensional Fund Advisors LP | 3,256,329 | 6.34% | $126.25M | +1,363 | 0.02% |
| American Century Companies Inc | 2,598,623 | 5.06% | $100.75M | +389,408 | 0.04% |
| Lsv Asset Management | 2,514,207 | 4.90% | $97.48M | +10,766 | 0.18% |
| State Street Corp | 2,207,738 | 4.30% | $85.59M | +122,327 | 0.00% |
| Vanguard Capital Management LLC | 2,062,325 | 4.02% | $79.96M | −30,977 | 0.00% |
| Allspring Global Investments Holdings, LLC | 1,462,846 | 2.85% | $56.71M | −307,227 | 0.09% |
| Geode Capital Management, LLC | 1,184,591 | 2.31% | $45.94M | +90,798 | 0.00% |
| Manufacturers Life Insurance Company, The | 1,048,539 | 2.04% | $40.65M | +36,179 | 0.03% |
| Westwood Holdings Group Inc | 978,429 | 1.91% | $37.93M | −220,759 | 0.29% |
| GW&K Investment Management, LLC | 952,272 | 1.85% | $36.92M | −10,991 | 0.29% |
| State Of Wisconsin Investment Board | 768,664 | 1.50% | $29.80M | +171,460 | 0.06% |
| Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc | 764,630 | 1.49% | $29.64M | −76,654 | 0.00% |
| Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC | 757,424 | 1.48% | $29.37M | −63,089 | 0.19% |
| Royce & Associates LP | 697,855 | 1.36% | $27.06M | +468,095 | 0.22% |
| Two Sigma Investments, LP | 583,930 | 1.14% | $22.64M | +85,261 | 0.02% |
| First Eagle Investment Management, LLC | 579,876 | 1.13% | $22.48M | +319,438 | 0.02% |
| Northern Trust Corp | 542,761 | 1.06% | $21.04M | +39,008 | 0.00% |
| Armistice Capital, LLC | 536,000 | 1.04% | $20.78M | +58,000 | 0.25% |
Institutional buying and selling by quarter
Positions opened, added to, reduced and closed by 13F filers
| Quarter | Holders | Shares held | % of shares | New / added | Reduced / closed | Shares bought | Shares sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 285 | 49M | 95.2% | 42 / 121 | 80 / 24 | 5M | 4M |
| Q1 2026 | 272 | 48M | 94.1% | 46 / 89 | 94 / 22 | 9M | 3M |
| Q4 2025 | 254 | 48M | 93.8% | 40 / 91 | 92 / 28 | 4M | 5M |
| Q3 2025 | 245 | 49M | 95.9% | 26 / 105 | 77 / 31 | 5M | 3M |
| Q2 2025 | 252 | 48M | 93.1% | 34 / 89 | 88 / 24 | 3M | 4M |
| Q1 2025 | 242 | 49M | 94.8% | 39 / 79 | 81 / 23 | 3M | 4M |
| Q4 2024 | 227 | 49M | 95.7% | 25 / 77 | 82 / 27 | 3M | 4M |
| Q3 2024 | 232 | 50M | 97.1% | 27 / 76 | 82 / 21 | 12M | 3M |
| Q2 2024 | 228 | 50M | 97.7% | 29 / 88 | 72 / 22 | 3M | 3M |
| Q1 2024 | 224 | 50M | 98.0% | 47 / 99 | 69 / 12 | 6M | 3M |
| Q4 2023 | 189 | 48M | 92.5% | 22 / 67 | 69 / 17 | 4M | 2M |
| Q3 2023 | 187 | 46M | 89.1% | 26 / 68 | 66 / 13 | 2M | 2M |
Top mutual fund and ETF holders
Latest monthly portfolio reports (Form N-PORT)
303 funds held CENTA in Q2 2026, 51% of their shares through ETFs. Each fund counts once per quarter, from its quarter-end report.
| Fund | Shares | % of CENTA | Value | % of fund | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | 3,092,417 | 6.02% | $119.89M | 0.11% | Jun 30, 2026 |
| Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value ETF | 2,106,663 | 4.10% | $71.90M | 0.27% | May 31, 2026 |
| Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund | 1,553,038 | 3.03% | $60.21M | 0.00% | Jun 30, 2026 |
| iShares Russell 2000 ETF | 1,260,190 | 2.45% | $48.86M | 0.06% | Jun 30, 2026 |
| Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund | 1,116,060 | 2.17% | $43.27M | 0.02% | Jun 30, 2026 |
| Allspring Special Small Cap Value Fund | 901,115 | 1.76% | $34.94M | 1.18% | Jun 30, 2026 |
| Small Cap Core Fund | 776,578 | 1.51% | $29.44M | 1.51% | Jul 31, 2026 |
| U.S. Small Cap Value Portfolio | 720,095 | 1.40% | $27.30M | 0.14% | Jul 31, 2026 |
| Vanguard Small-Cap Value Index Fund | 703,922 | 1.37% | $27.29M | 0.04% | Jun 30, 2026 |
| Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund | 582,889 | 1.14% | $19.89M | 0.22% | May 31, 2026 |
| iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF | 474,926 | 0.93% | $18.41M | 0.13% | Jun 30, 2026 |
| State Street(R) SPDR(R) Portfolio S&P 600(TM) Small Cap ETF | 471,806 | 0.92% | $18.29M | 0.11% | Jun 30, 2026 |
| Fidelity Small Cap Index Fund | 447,865 | 0.87% | $16.98M | 0.05% | Jul 31, 2026 |
| iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Value ETF | 441,838 | 0.86% | $17.13M | 0.21% | Jun 30, 2026 |
| Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund | 427,637 | 0.83% | $16.58M | 0.02% | Jun 30, 2026 |
Officers, directors and major owners
People who filed Forms 3, 4 or 5 in the last two years
| Name | Role | Shares owned | % of shares | Latest filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William E. Brown | Chairman, Director, 10% owner | 2,420,802 | 4.72% | Sep 28, 2026 |
| Nicholas Lahanas | Chief Executive Officer, Director | 132,986 | 0.26% | May 19, 2026 |
| John D. Walker III | President, Garden Consumer Pro | 69,940 | 0.14% | Aug 12, 2026 |
| Howard Machek | Chief Accounting Officer | 57,777 | 0.11% | Jul 14, 2026 |
| John Edward Hanson | President, Pet Consumer Prod | 59,768 | 0.12% | Jun 26, 2026 |
| Apur Rohit Patel | Chief Legal Officer | 17,048 | 0.03% | Feb 13, 2026 |
| Bradley G. Smith | Chief Financial Officer | 17,863 | 0.03% | Feb 13, 2026 |
| George A. Yuhas | General Counsel | 35,953 | 0.07% | Jan 21, 2026 |
| Joyce M. McCarthy | General Counsel | 14,737 | 0.03% | May 20, 2025 |
| Brooks Pennington Iii | Director | 251,759 | 0.49% | Aug 17, 2026 |
| Kay Schwichtenberg | Director | 4,037 | 0.01% | Mar 24, 2026 |
| John Ranelli | Director | 18,527 | 0.04% | Feb 23, 2026 |
| Christopher T. Metz | Director | 15,305 | 0.03% | Feb 13, 2026 |
| Courtnee A. Chun | Director | 18,263 | 0.04% | Feb 12, 2026 |
| Brendan Dougher | Director | 16,429 | 0.03% | Feb 12, 2026 |
| Randal D. Lewis | Director | 7,839 | 0.02% | Feb 12, 2026 |
| Mary Beth Springer | Director | 26,631 | 0.05% | Feb 12, 2026 |
| Lisa Coleman | Director | 13,439 | 0.03% | Feb 14, 2025 |
Insider trades
Common stock transactions reported on Form 4, newest first
| Insider | Date | Transaction | Shares | Price | Value | Shares after |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William E. Brown Chairman, Director, 10% owner | Sep 24, 2026 | Other | −1,000 | – | – | 349,259 |
| William E. Brown Chairman, Director, 10% owner | Aug 13, 2026 | Sale | −3,900 | $39.00 | $152.10K | 350,259 |
| Brooks Pennington Iii Director | Aug 12, 2026 | Gift | −5,800 | – | – | 123,106 |
| John D. Walker III President, Garden Consumer Pro | Aug 12, 2026 | Sale | −5,000 | $39.00 | $195.00K | 59,679 |
| John D. Walker III President, Garden Consumer Pro | Aug 11, 2026 | Sale | −5,000 | $38.50 | $192.50K | 64,679 |
| William E. Brown Chairman, Director, 10% owner | Aug 10, 2026 | Tax withholding | −116,232 | $38.28 | $4.45M | 949,258 |
| William E. Brown Chairman, Director, 10% owner | Aug 10, 2026 | Option exercise | +127,942 | $31.18 | $3.99M | 1,065,490 |
| Howard Machek Chief Accounting Officer | Jul 13, 2026 | Tax withholding | −3,924 | $37.59 | $147.50K | 47,944 |
| John Edward Hanson President, Pet Consumer Prod | Jun 24, 2026 | Tax withholding | −8,051 | $38.85 | $312.78K | 7,622 |
| John Edward Hanson President, Pet Consumer Prod | Jun 24, 2026 | Option exercise | +8,518 | $35.22 | $300.00K | 15,673 |
| John D. Walker III President, Garden Consumer Pro | Jun 15, 2026 | Tax withholding | −8,200 | $37.75 | $309.55K | 69,679 |
| John D. Walker III President, Garden Consumer Pro | Jun 15, 2026 | Option exercise | +8,518 | $35.22 | $300.00K | 77,879 |
| William E. Brown Chairman, Director, 10% owner | Jun 3, 2026 | Other | −11,586 | – | – | 354,159 |
| Nicholas Lahanas Chief Executive Officer, Director | May 16, 2026 | Tax withholding | −480 | $34.19 | $16.41K | 122,350 |
| William E. Brown Chairman, Director, 10% owner | Mar 25, 2026 | Gift | −2,040 | – | – | 937,548 |
| Kay Schwichtenberg Director | Mar 13, 2026 | Award | +3,734 | – | – | 3,734 |
| John Ranelli Director | Feb 19, 2026 | Sale | −3,668 | $34.50 | $126.55K | 646 |
| John Edward Hanson President, Pet Consumer Prod | Feb 17, 2026 | Sale | −5,000 | $34.75 | $173.75K | 7,155 |
| Brooks Pennington Iii Director | Feb 13, 2026 | Gift | −2,050 | – | – | 128,906 |
| John Ranelli Director | Feb 11, 2026 | Award | +3,584 | – | – | 3,584 |
| Apur Rohit Patel Chief Legal Officer | Feb 11, 2026 | Award | +7,813 | – | – | 24,861 |
| Christopher T. Metz Director | Feb 11, 2026 | Award | +3,584 | – | – | 15,305 |
| Bradley G. Smith Chief Financial Officer | Feb 11, 2026 | Award | −7,813 | – | – | 17,544 |
| Brooks Pennington Iii Director | Feb 11, 2026 | Award | +3,584 | – | – | 40,630 |
| Mary Beth Springer Director | Feb 11, 2026 | Award | +3,584 | – | – | 26,631 |
| Mary Beth Springer Director | Feb 11, 2026 | Tax withholding | −5,948 | $33.63 | $200.03K | 23,047 |
| Mary Beth Springer Director | Feb 11, 2026 | Option exercise | +8,803 | $22.72 | $200.00K | 28,995 |
| John D. Walker III President, Garden Consumer Pro | Feb 11, 2026 | Award | −7,813 | – | – | 69,361 |
| Courtnee A. Chun Director | Feb 11, 2026 | Award | +3,584 | – | – | 18,263 |
| Nicholas Lahanas Chief Executive Officer, Director | Feb 11, 2026 | Award | +43,750 | – | – | 122,830 |
| William E. Brown Chairman, Director, 10% owner | Feb 11, 2026 | Award | +14,063 | – | – | 939,588 |
| Brendan Dougher Director | Feb 11, 2026 | Award | +3,584 | – | – | 3,584 |
| Randal D. Lewis Director | Feb 11, 2026 | Award | +3,584 | – | – | 7,839 |
| John Edward Hanson President, Pet Consumer Prod | Feb 11, 2026 | Award | −7,813 | – | – | 49,092 |
| Howard Machek Chief Accounting Officer | Feb 11, 2026 | Award | +6,250 | – | – | 51,868 |
| John Ranelli Director | Feb 10, 2026 | Tax withholding | −5,916 | $33.81 | $200.02K | 4,314 |
| John Ranelli Director | Feb 10, 2026 | Option exercise | +8,803 | $22.72 | $200.00K | 10,230 |
| Nicholas Lahanas Chief Executive Officer, Director | Feb 10, 2026 | Tax withholding | −7,825 | $33.81 | $264.56K | 79,080 |
| John D. Walker III President, Garden Consumer Pro | Feb 10, 2026 | Tax withholding | −6,437 | $33.81 | $217.63K | 61,548 |
| Brendan Dougher Director | Feb 10, 2026 | Sale | −3,250 | $33.38 | $108.49K | 12,845 |
| William E. Brown Chairman, Director, 10% owner | Feb 9, 2026 | Tax withholding | −2,958 | $33.92 | $100.34K | 925,525 |
| William E. Brown Chairman, Director, 10% owner | Feb 6, 2026 | Tax withholding | −1,882 | $33.60 | $63.24K | 928,483 |
| Howard Machek Chief Accounting Officer | Feb 6, 2026 | Tax withholding | −1,329 | $33.60 | $44.65K | 45,618 |
| John Edward Hanson President, Pet Consumer Prod | Feb 6, 2026 | Returned to company | −2,165 | $33.60 | $72.74K | 41,279 |
| John Edward Hanson President, Pet Consumer Prod | Feb 6, 2026 | Tax withholding | −1,636 | $33.60 | $54.97K | 43,444 |
| Nicholas Lahanas Chief Executive Officer, Director | Feb 6, 2026 | Tax withholding | −1,357 | $33.60 | $45.60K | 86,905 |
| Bradley G. Smith Chief Financial Officer | Feb 6, 2026 | Tax withholding | −776 | $33.60 | $26.07K | 9,731 |
| John D. Walker III President, Garden Consumer Pro | Feb 6, 2026 | Tax withholding | −1,181 | $33.60 | $39.68K | 67,985 |
| John Edward Hanson President, Pet Consumer Prod | Jan 30, 2026 | Tax withholding | −1,313 | $30.22 | $39.68K | 9,990 |
| John Edward Hanson President, Pet Consumer Prod | Jan 30, 2026 | Award | +2,814 | – | – | 11,303 |
| Nicholas Lahanas Chief Executive Officer, Director | Jan 30, 2026 | Tax withholding | −1,144 | $30.22 | $34.57K | 88,262 |
| Nicholas Lahanas Chief Executive Officer, Director | Jan 30, 2026 | Award | +2,814 | – | – | 89,406 |
| John D. Walker III President, Garden Consumer Pro | Jan 30, 2026 | Award | +2,814 | – | – | 70,142 |
| John D. Walker III President, Garden Consumer Pro | Jan 30, 2026 | Tax withholding | −976 | $30.22 | $29.49K | 69,166 |
| Howard Machek Chief Accounting Officer | Jan 30, 2026 | Tax withholding | −3,667 | $30.22 | $110.82K | 46,947 |
| Howard Machek Chief Accounting Officer | Jan 30, 2026 | Option exercise | +4,255 | $22.80 | $97.01K | 50,614 |
| Howard Machek Chief Accounting Officer | Jan 30, 2026 | Tax withholding | −985 | $30.22 | $29.77K | 46,359 |
| Howard Machek Chief Accounting Officer | Jan 30, 2026 | Award | +2,253 | – | – | 47,344 |
| Bradley G. Smith Chief Financial Officer | Jan 30, 2026 | Tax withholding | −346 | $30.22 | $10.46K | 10,507 |
| Bradley G. Smith Chief Financial Officer | Jan 30, 2026 | Award | +844 | – | – | 10,853 |
Awards, option exercises, tax withholding and gifts are shown alongside open-market buys and sales. Each name links to the filing on SEC EDGAR.
Short interest
Shares sold short and not yet bought back, as of Oct 15, 2026 (FINRA, reported twice a month)
Short % of shares outstanding
–
1M shares short
Days to cover
4.3
At 0M shares a day
Change since last report
-17.1%
From 2M shares
Short volume, 20 days
48.2%
Of volume reported to FINRA
Shares sold short, last 12 months
Short sale volume counts trades marked short on any given day, including market-maker hedging, so it runs far higher than the share of Central Garden & Pet's stock actually held short. Settlement fails (shares not delivered on time) peaked at 8,213 shares on Sep 21, 2026 over the last 90 days.
Planned insider sales
Notices of proposed sale filed on Form 144 before shares are sold
| Seller | Filed | Shares | Market value | Planned sale | Acquired through |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William E. Brown Officer, Director, Chairman | Aug 13, 2026 | 3,900 | $152.10K | Aug 13, 2026 | Gift |
| John D. Walker III Officer | Aug 12, 2026 | 5,000 | $195.00K | Aug 12, 2026 | Restricted Stock Lapse |
| John D. Walker III Officer | Aug 11, 2026 | 5,000 | $192.50K | Aug 11, 2026 | Restricted Stock Lapse |
| John Ranelli Director | Feb 19, 2026 | 3,668 | $126.47K | Feb 19, 2026 | Transfer |
| John Edward Hanson Officer, President Pet Consumer Product | Feb 17, 2026 | 5,000 | $173.76K | Feb 17, 2026 | Restricted Stock Lapse - See Remarks |
| Brigham-Dougher Family Trust Director | Feb 10, 2026 | 3,250 | $108.49K | Feb 10, 2026 | Restricted stock vesting under a registered plan |
| Christopher T. Metz Director | Nov 26, 2025 | 10,000 | $285.90K | Nov 28, 2025 | Shares |
| William E. Brown Chairman, 10% Shareholder | Aug 28, 2025 | 100,000 | $3.27M | Aug 28, 2025 | Stock Dividend |
| William E. Brown Officer | Aug 28, 2025 | 3,125 | $101.59K | Aug 28, 2025 | Gift |
| John D. Walker III Officer | Aug 25, 2025 | 3,500 | $114.06K | Aug 25, 2025 | Restricted Stock Lapse |
| John Ranelli Director | Aug 25, 2025 | 3,076 | $102.12K | Aug 25, 2025 | Transfer |
| Brooks Pennington Iii Director | Aug 14, 2025 | 3,281 | $109.72K | Aug 14, 2025 | Director Share Grants |
| William E. Brown Officer | May 29, 2025 | 4,800 | $153.42K | May 29, 2025 | Gift |
| William E. Brown Chairman, 10% Shareholder | May 20, 2025 | 400,000 | $12.86M | May 20, 2025 | Stock Dividend |
| John Edward Hanson President Pet Consumer Product | May 13, 2025 | 9,375 | $300.00K | May 13, 2025 | Restricted Stock Lapse - See Remarks |