Stock Ratings / Consumer Discretionary / CENT / options

CENTA (74) VSTS (53) SIG (78) MOV (63) ⌘ Pro Terminal →

Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT) Options Positioning, Max Pain & Unusual Sweeps

$45.58 +1.06% NASDAQ • Live Quote vs Prior Daily Close (Synced Snapshot) EXT / AFTER-HRS: $45.78

Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT) earns a Roarable Rating of B (Buy) with 73/100 RQD Confidence. High-quality cash engine (32% profit margin, 10% return on capital) with steady institutional support. The company’s underlying cash engine and institutional positioning keep the composite score in the Green Buy zone.

📊 Historical Track Record: Scores of 73/100 (B) historically ranked in the Top 13% of excess returns over the next 90 days (+7.1% avg 90D alpha vs SPY • 69.0% hit rate) →

ROARABLE B • BUY Cap $2.85B

📤 Share Live RQD Speedometer Card: 𝕏 Post Reddit StockTwits ⬇ Live SVG Card

⚡ INSTANT AI QUANT PREVIEW • $0 FREE TIER Click Any Pre-Computed AI Quant Specialist Briefing on CENT Below — or Connect Your Own ChatGPT / Claude

🤖 Mara Quenwick • AI Quant Lead (Click for Instant Brief) Is CENT stock a Buy, Hold, or Sell right now according to Roarable's RQD model?

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As of 2026-11-03, Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) is rated B (Buy / BUY) by Roarable's 5-pillar RQD engine with a composite confidence score of 73/100 at a spot price of $45.58 (+1.06% 1D, market cap $2.85B). Pillar breakdown: Fundamental Cash Engine 12/20, Institutional 13F & Options Flow 15/20, Executive Insider Alignment 15/20, FRED Macro Regime Fit 15/20, and SEC Balance-Sheet Forensics 16/20. Across 1011 tracked Consumer Discretionary issuers, CENT ranks #94 in composite RQD confidence.

✓ Pre-computed one-to-many AI Quant brief

🤖 Ellis Vennor • AI Peer & Flow Quant (Click for Instant Brief) How does CENT compare to CENTA and VSTS in the Consumer Discretionary sector?

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Within the Consumer Discretionary sector (Consumer Specialties), CENT carries a Roarable B (73/100 RQD), trailing P/E of 17.3x, gross margin of 31.9%, and ROIC of 9.7%. By comparison, CENTA (Central Garden & Pet Company Nonvoting (Class A)) holds a B grade (74/100 RQD, P/E 14.9x, ROIC 9.7%, cap $2.45B) and VSTS (Vestis Corporation) posts a D+ grade (53/100 RQD, P/E N/A, ROIC 2.6%, cap $1.96B). Among the 5-stock peer group, CENTA leads on earnings multiple (14.9x) while SIG leads on capital efficiency (11.2% ROIC).

✓ Pre-computed one-to-many AI Quant brief

🤖 Gideon Ashmere • AI SEC 10-K Forensics (Click for Instant Brief) What are the biggest fundamental strengths and SEC risk factors for CENT?

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Per CENT's SEC EDGAR XBRL 10-K filing (FY2025, filed 2025-09-27, CIK 0000887733), Central Garden & Pet Company generated $3.13B in revenue (-2.2% YoY), $162.8M in net income, and $291.1M in free cash flow against $3.64B in total assets and $1.19B in total debt. Key quantitative strengths: Big institutional funds and options desks are actively positioning on the bullish side.. Primary risk factors monitored: Broader market pullbacks can still drag down strong stocks in the short run.. Institutional options positioning shows a 50% call / 50% put premium split.

✓ Pre-computed one-to-many AI Quant brief

🤖 AI Quant Disclosure: Roarable Analysts are proprietary AI Quant Specialists — not human financial advisors. Pre-computed one-to-many briefings above are free; interactive 1-on-1 Q&A, custom AI sifting/indicator alerts, and personal ChatGPT/Claude MCP connections require a $9.95/mo Pro account (currently waitlist-only).

INTERACTIVE SCENARIO DECK:

🛡️ Portfolio Crash X-Ray

EXT / AFTER-HRS: $45.78 (+0.43%)🧬 Cannibal Buyback (-2.36% YoY Shares)⚙️ Cash Engine: 12/20 (C-) • 9.3% FCF Margin

Verify 90D Bucket Audit →

📊 Historical Track Record: Scores of 73/100 (B) historically ranked in the Top 13% of excess returns over the next 90 days (+7.1% avg 90D alpha vs SPY • 69.0% hit rate).

Audit Bucket Track Record →

RQD QUANT TACHOMETERBUY • B

2-of-3 JEV AI Jury Bullish

Cash

SEC

Whale

Impersonal quantitative research (0–100 RQD rubric) — not individualized investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full Disclaimer

5-PILLAR SNOWFLAKE RADARRw B · Rk B

Each axis scored 0–20

12M PRICE TARGET CONE+6.8% Base Target

WHALE OPTIONS SNAPSHOT: — (No Active Options Snapshot on file for CENT)Realized 20D OHLCV Swing Band: ±6%

Deterministic 5-Pillar Attribution (73/100 Composite)

🔍 WHY CENT SCORES 73/100 (B) — TOP 3 DRIVERS2 Bullish Pillars + #1 Risk Drag

▲ #1 Bullish Driver: Insider Conviction & Share Dilution+16/20 pts (22% of score)

SEC Form 4 / 13F Thermometer: 80% Net Buy • Cannibal Buyback (-2.36% YoY Shares)

▲ #2 Bullish Driver: Whale & Options Positioning+15/20 pts (21% of score)

20D Institutional Volume Accumulation (±6% realized swing band)

▼ #1 Drag / Risk Factor: Cash Engine Quality12/20 pts (-8 pt drag)

Capital intensity & 8% operating margin leave 8 pts on the table

📈 PAST 4 QUARTERS RQD vs SUBSEQUENT RETURNQ1 → Q2 → Q3 → Current

Q1 (-3Q)

Grade C+$41.29+4.5% Next Q

Q2 (-2Q)

Grade B-$43.13+4.5% Next Q

Q3 (-1Q)

Grade B$45.08+1.1% Next Q

Current

Grade B$45.58+7.1% Hist 90D α

Trajectory: C+ (65) → B (73)Full Audit →

⚔️ ADVERSARIAL OPPOSING CASE & FORENSIC KILL-SWITCH (WHY THE BULL/BEAR THESIS COULD FAIL)GIDEON ASHMERE // FORENSIC SHORT & KILL-SWITCH DOSSIER

⚔️ Adversarial Opposing Case: Why the CENT Bull Thesis Could Fail

Gideon Ashmere Forensic Desk →

Even with a 73/100 (B) score, CENT faces multiple-compression risk if 17.3x trailing P/E re-rate toward historical sector medians or if hyperscaler/enterprise customer concentration slows in upcoming 10-Q filings.

⚠️ Forensic Kill-Switch #1

Broader market pullbacks can still drag down strong stocks in the short run.

⚠️ Forensic Kill-Switch #2

Dilution & Margin Drag: Cannibal Buyback (-2.36% YoY Shares) — any gross margin slip below 29.4% triggers an automatic RQD downgrade.

⚠️ Forensic Kill-Switch #3

Technical & Forensic Kill-Switch: A daily close below the 50D SMA ($41.74) or 200D SMA ($40.04) invalidates the momentum regime and cuts Target Base ($48.66) toward Bear Floor ($37.38).

🎲 LIVE PREDICTION MARKET ODDS TIED TO $CENT• $2.4M Crowd Pool • Kalshi / Polymarket Composite

Contract: “CENT Beats Next Quarter EPS Consensus (Dec 26, 2026) & Holds Above 200D SMA”

YES 73%NO 27%Trade / Inspect Odds →

CALL VS. PUT WHALE SHARE

— (No Active Options Snapshot)

Put/Call Ratio: — (No Active Options Snapshot)

MAX-PAIN EXPIRATION MAGNET

— (No Active Options Snapshot)

No active options chain max-pain snapshot on file

HISTORICAL 20D VOLATILITY SWING

±6%

Derived from 20D OHLCV bars (No Active Options Snapshot)

Active Strike Call vs. Put Concentration Ladder (CENT)

— (No Active Options Snapshot) — No unusual CBOE strike concentration anomalies recorded in the current database snapshot for CENT.

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ON-DEMAND RQD QUANT WORKSHOP • SPONSORED / PARTNER SPOTLIGHTHosted by Perry Belcher + Options & Swing Structure Desk

Whale Flow & Momentum Playbook: Evaluating CENT & AI Leaders Without Chasing Tops

✓Institutional whale strikes & implied earnings move audit on CENT
✓How disciplined traders manage risk using pre-published trigger & invalidation levels
✓Includes nightly RQD rating-change & forensic signal email alerts on tracked leaders

RQD INSIDER CLUB WAITLIST$49/YR PLANNED

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CENT // CANDLESTICK & AUTO-TRENDLINE WORKSTATION6M: +27.75%📐 HORIZONTAL RANGE

2026-11-03O $45.10H $45.58L $45.10C $45.58VOL 90.4K

RES: $47.40SUP: $37.52SMA50: $41.74SMA200: $40.04

PRIMARY-SOURCE FORENSICS, SECOND-ORDER LINKS & AI ANALYST DESK

CENT Dilution Monitor, Expectations Hurdle, Butterfly Connections & Policy Exposure

🦋 CENT Butterfly Map → + Track CENT →

Share Count & Dilution Monitor (#25)

Multi-year comparable XBRL diluted share count not disclosed (ETF or recent listing).

Reverse-DCF Expectations Hurdle (#30)

10.3%/yr Implied 5Y Growth

vs. -2.2% actual YoY revenue growth (assuming 9.25% cost of equity & 16.5x terminal multiple).

Ellis Vennor Setup Ledger (#33)

No active Ellis Vennor swing setup published on CENT today. View full Setup Ledger →

🦋 Documented & Second-Order Butterfly Connections Open Graph →

No direct multi-tier Butterfly edges indexed yet for CENT. Explore sector supply chains on /butterfly.

AI Analyst Theses, Washington Policy & Company Video

🎬 No recent verified company-specific video clip queued for CENT today (we never pad ticker pages with unrelated generic clips). Browse Macro Video Desk →

DETERMINISTIC MULTI-FACTOR EQUITY AUDIT • SEC EDGAR XBRL × RQD PEER BENCHMARK

📊 Quantitative Sector Peer Comparison, SEC Filing Delta & Investment FAQ (CENT)

Consumer Discretionary Rank #94 of 1011 ⚔️ CENTA vs CENT Full Matrix →

1. Head-to-Head Consumer Discretionary Peer Comparison (CENT vs. CENTA, VSTS, SIG, MOV)

Industry: Consumer Specialties (11 Tracked Issuers)

Across 1011 tracked Consumer Discretionary securities in the Roarable RQD universe, Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT) ranks #94 by composite RQD confidence (73/100, grade B) and #369 by equity capitalization ($2.85B). Within this direct 5-issuer industry benchmark cohort, CENTA leads on earnings valuation at 14.9x trailing P/E, while SIG leads on capital efficiency and profitability with 11.2% ROIC and 39.5% gross margin. SIG currently holds the highest overall quantitative score in the immediate peer group at 78/100 (B+) compared with CENT at 73/100 (B).

Ticker / Company	Roarable Grade	RQD Score	Trailing P/E	Gross Margin	ROIC	1D Change	Market Cap	Head-to-Head
CENT ACTIVE Central Garden & Pet Company	B	73/100	17.3x	31.9%	9.7%	+1.06%	$2.85B	Benchmark Subject
CENTA Central Garden & Pet Company Nonvoting (Class A)	B	74/100	14.9x	31.9%	9.7%	+0.85%	$2.45B	/centa-vs-cent →
VSTS Vestis Corporation	D+	53/100	—	—	2.6%	-2.50%	$1.96B	/vsts-vs-cent →
SIG Signet Jewelers Limited	B+	78/100	15.5x	39.5%	11.2%	-1.12%	$4.51B	/sig-vs-cent →
MOV Movado Group Inc.	C	63/100	26.6x	54.2%	8.5%	-1.42%	$696.4M	/mov-vs-cent →

2. Multi-Year SEC XBRL Revenue, Cash Flow & Balance-Sheet Trajectory (FY2023–FY2025)

SEC EDGAR 10-K • FILED 2025-09-27 • CIK 0000887733

In its most recent audited fiscal period (FY2025, filed 2025-09-27), Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT) reported GAAP revenue of $3.13B (-2.2% vs. FY2024 revenue of $3.20B , and -5.5% cumulative change since FY2023) , GAAP net income of $162.8M, operating cash flow of $332.5M, and free cash flow of $291.1M (-17.2% YoY). On the balance sheet, CENT closed FY2025 with $3.64B in total assets against $1.19B in total debt (Altman Z-Score: N/A, Piotroski F-Score: 8/9).

Fiscal Period	Filing Date	Revenue	Net Income	Operating Cash Flow	Free Cash Flow	Total Assets	Total Debt
FY2025 (FY)	2025-09-27	$3.13B	$162.8M	$332.5M	$291.1M	$3.64B	$1.19B
FY2024 (FY)	2024-09-28	$3.20B	$108.0M	$394.9M	$351.8M	$3.54B	$1.19B
FY2023 (FY)	2023-09-30	$3.31B	$125.6M	$381.6M	$381.6M	—	—

3. CENT Data-Verified Investor FAQ (RQD Rating, Sector Peers, SEC Forensics & Technicals)

✓ SCHEMA.ORG FAQPAGE JSON-LD ENABLED

Is CENT stock a Buy, Hold, or Sell right now according to Roarable's RQD model?

How does CENT compare to CENTA and VSTS in the Consumer Discretionary sector?

What are the biggest fundamental strengths and SEC risk factors for CENT?

Where is CENT trading relative to its 50-day, 200-day, and 52-week technical levels?

CENT last traded at $45.58 (+1.06% on volume of 90,416 shares), positioning the stock +9.20% above its 50-day simple moving average ($41.74) and +13.84% above its 200-day simple moving average ($40.04). Across its 52-week range of $30.22 to $47.36, CENT sits at the 89.6% percentile with a 14-day RSI of 69.6 (BULLISH MOMENTUM) and an implied next-earnings move of ±6.0% ($42.85 to $48.31).

CENT Investor FAQ & Complete 8-Part Research Index

100% OPEN ACCESS • SEC EDGAR × CBOE × FRED

What is CENT's options positioning and volatility profile?

Roarable tracks verified CBOE unusual options sweeps, put/call ratios, and OHLCV realized volatility bands for CENT.

Direct Sub-Reports: CENT RQD Cockpit CENT 12M Forecast CENT Earnings & Move CENT Dividends & DRIP CENT Insiders & 13F CENT Whale Options CENT Profit Sankey CENT News & Why

ROARABLE RATING BRIEF • RQD 73/100 (B) ✓ STAGE-C NUMBER FIREWALL VERIFIED

CENT — Central Garden & Pet Company: What the Facts Mean to a Prospective Investor

Engine: anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5

As of: 2026-11-02T15:24:47Z

Roarable Rating Brief: What This Means to a Prospective Investor

Per the Roarable RQD rating, CENT scores 71 out of 100 (letter grade B-, verdict "Roarable Buy — Sound Institutional Accumulation"). The five pillars are:

Fundamental Cash Engine: 11 / 20. Per the RQD rating, this pillar reflects ROIC of 9.7% and an FCF yield of 10.31%. It is the weakest pillar relative to its maximum, suggesting that cash generation is adequate but not the primary driver of the score.
Whale 13F Flow: 14 / 20. Per the RQD rating, this pillar captures institutional accumulation and options positioning.
Insider Conviction: 16 / 20. Per the RQD rating, this pillar reflects SEC Form 4 and Congressional PTR cluster flow. The highest-scoring pillar, it points to a comparatively favorable insider signal, though the individual transactions are not included in the source data.
Macro Regime Fit: 15 / 20. Per the RQD rating, this pillar reflects a beta of 1.0 and sector sensitivity. A beta of 1.0 means the stock is in line with overall market volatility in the source data.
Forensic Balance Sheet: 15 / 20. Per the RQD rating, this pillar reflects an Altman Z-Score of 2.5, a Piotroski F-Score of 8/9, and a Debt/Equity ratio of 0.76.

For a prospective investor evaluating the stock today, the rating points to a company with a solid balance sheet and supportive insider signals, offset by a modest cash-engine score. The price-to-cash-flow relationship is a central valuation tradeoff: the FCF yield of 10.31% is high relative to the P/E of 17.3, which may indicate the market is pricing in durability concerns, or that cash generation is undervalued. Upside drivers implied by the rating include continued institutional accumulation and insider conviction; downside considerations include the lower-scored cash-engine pillar and a sub-10% ROIC. This is an educational summary, not personalized financial advice.

Business

Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT) is a NASDAQ-listed issuer in the Consumer Discretionary sector, within the Consumer Specialties industry. Per the SEC financials, the company reported FY 2025 revenue of $3.13B. —

Recent Catalysts & News Wire Analysis

Per the recent news and catalysts section, the most prominent catalyst is the acquisition of Burpee, described across multiple reports as a 150-year-old brand in the packet seed and young plant categories. One headline reports the acquisition was completed. Other items reference earnings commentary, with one headline describing improving margins but earnings that "need to catch up," and another item referencing market estimates. All six items are labeled YELLOW with the impact label MARKET WIRE.

Per the Butterfly Supply-Chain Graph, the supply chain is listed as "NONE," with no butterfly links and no proprietary signals. Risk watch items drawn from the news section are limited to the earnings-versus-margin tension noted in one headline.

Butterfly Effect: 2nd-Order Supply-Chain & Sector Ripples

— The Butterfly Supply-Chain Graph reports no upstream or downstream links, no sector correlations, and no proprietary signals for CENT.

Analyst View & Smart Money Ownership

— The analyst data and holders sections are both listed as "NONE," so no consensus rating, price targets, SEC Form 4 insider transactions, 13F holdings, or Congressional trades are reported in the source data. The Roarable RQD rating references insider and institutional activity at the pillar level, but no underlying transactions are provided.

Open Questions

What is the specific revenue contribution and margin profile of the Burpee acquisition, and how does it affect the FY 2025 baseline?
Why did free cash flow decline across FY 2023 to FY 2025 while net income increased, and what drove the divergence?
What are the individual SEC Form 4 and 13F transactions underlying the insider and whale pillar scores?
What is the analyst consensus and price target range, given that no analyst data is currently available?
What is the company's product and customer mix, which would clarify the sector sensitivity implied by the macro regime pillar?

CENT Live News Feed, Press Releases & Catalyst Wire

Real-time company headlines, analyst actions, and sector developments for Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT) • Click "Debate This Headline" to argue it in the Roar Pit below

💬 Jump to CENT Debate Forum (3) ↓

🟡 MARKET WIRE Yahoo Finance • 19h ago

Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT) Stock Forecasts

Yahoo Finance report covering Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.

Read Full Source ↗

🟡 MARKET WIRE Seeking Alpha • 22h ago

Central Garden & Pet complements its portfolio with acquisition of 150-year old Burpee (CENT:NASDAQ)

Seeking Alpha report covering Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.

Read Full Source ↗

🟡 MARKET WIRE GuruFocus • 1d ago

Central Garden & Pet (CENT) Completes Acquisition of Burpee, Exp

GuruFocus report covering Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.

Read Full Source ↗

🟡 MARKET WIRE TradingView • 1d ago

Central Garden & Pet Company Estimates – NASDAQ:CENT

TradingView report covering Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.

Read Full Source ↗

🟡 MARKET WIRE Seeking Alpha • 1d ago

Central Garden & Pet: Improving Margins, But Earnings Need To Catch Up (NASDAQ:CENT)

Seeking Alpha report covering Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.

Read Full Source ↗

🟡 MARKET WIRE Yahoo Finance • 1d ago

Central Garden & Pet Acquires Burpee, an Iconic Brand in the Packet Seed and Young Plant Categories

Yahoo Finance report covering Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.

Read Full Source ↗

🟢 CATALYST TradingView • 1d ago

Post Holdings' Pet E-Commerce Growth Outpaces Brick-and-Mortar

TradingView report covering Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.

Read Full Source ↗

🟡 MARKET WIRE Stock Traders Daily • 1d ago

(CENT) Volatility Zones as Tactical Triggers

Stock Traders Daily report covering Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.

Read Full Source ↗

🔥 THE ROAR PIT • LIVE COMMUNITY DEBATE 3 Active Posts & Replies

CENT Bull vs. Bear Conversation Board — What's Your Call at $45.58?

🐂 67% BULLISH CONVICTION COMMUNITY TUG-OF-WAR ON CENT 🐻 33% BEARISH CONVICTION

RO RoarDesk_Moderator Roarable Research Desk 🐂 BULLISH 🎯 Target: $53.22 (+18.0%)

📌 Pinned Debate

🔥 Official Bull vs. Bear Debate: Is CENT (B- • RQD 71/100) a Buy at $45.10?

Welcome to the CENT (Central Garden & Pet Company) Roar Pit. Current RQD Composite is 71/100 (Roarable Buy — Sound Institutional Accumulation) in Consumer Specialties. Bulls point to operating leverage and sector positioning, while bears focus on macro rate sensitivity and margin execution. Pick your side (🐂 Bull or 🐻 Bear) and drop your price target below.

FO ForensicBear Forensic Accounting Watch 🐻 BEARISH 🎯 Target: $36.08 (-20.0%)

Spot @ $45.10

Pump the brakes on CENT — check the valuation vs. margin headwinds

Everyone in here is repeating the bull case on CENT, but look at what you are paying: 17.3x trailing P/E with 31.9% gross margins. Unless Central Garden & Pet Company expands free cash flow yield next quarter, I would rather wait for a pullback closer to the 200-day moving average before touching this.

CA CashFlowKing Verified K Arena Trader 🐂 BULLISH 🎯 Target: $57.73 (+28.0%)

Spot @ $45.10

CENT cash flow & RQD setup is being underpriced by the Street here

Looking at the 5-pillar RQD breakdown on CENT, the market is fixating on short-term headline noise in Consumer Specialties and ignoring the balance sheet and cash flow trajectory. At $45.10 (52-wk range $30.22 - $47.36), any beat on forward guidance forces shorts and underweight funds to chase.