Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT) Key Metrics
CENT valuation today
Trailing 12 months · as of October 18, 2026- Market cap
- $2.63B
- Enterprise value
- $2.61B
- P/E (TTM)
- 15.6
- Forward P/E
- 12.2
- PEG ratio
- 2.01
- Price / sales
- 0.9
- Price / book
- 1.4
- EV / EBITDA
- 7.3
- Dividend yield
- —
- Beta
- 0.59
CENT key metrics, FY2016–FY2025
Fiscal year ended September 30, 2025 · U.S. dollarsCENT returns How much profit the business earns on the capital it uses.
CENT financial health Debt, liquidity and how easily interest is covered.
CENT efficiency & capital use Working capital cycle and where the cash goes.
CENT returns on capital
Net income (ROE, ROA) or after-tax operating income (ROIC) divided by the average of the opening and closing balance.
CENT debt vs cash
Debt includes short- and long-term borrowings and, where reported, lease liabilities.
CENT cash returned to shareholders
CENT key metrics
FY2016–FY2025| FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 | FY2019 | FY2018 | FY2017 | FY2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valuation | ||||||||||
| Share price at fiscal year-end | $32.65 | $36.47 | $34.54 | $28.21 | $37.57 | $31.25 | $22.88 | $28.21 | $30.40 | $20.35 |
| Returns & profitability | ||||||||||
| Return on equity (ROE) | 10.4% | 7.2% | 9.0% | 11.9% | 13.2% | 11.6% | 9.5% | 15.6% | 13.3% | 8.4% |
| Return on invested capital (ROIC) | 9.2% | 6.2% | 6.7% | 8.5% | 11.9% | 12.9% | 10.0% | 15.1% | 10.6% | 9.9% |
| Return on assets (ROA) | 4.5% | 3.1% | 3.8% | 4.8% | 5.6% | 5.5% | 4.7% | 7.7% | 6.3% | 3.8% |
| Return on tangible assets | 6.2% | 4.3% | 5.4% | 6.9% | 5.8% | 6.3% | 5.8% | 8.4% | 8.4% | 5.0% |
| Free cash flow margin | 9.3% | 11.0% | 9.9% | −4.5% | 5.2% | 8.2% | 7.3% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 6.8% |
| Income quality (OCF / net income) | 2.04 | 3.66 | 3.04 | −0.22 | 1.65 | 2.19 | 2.21 | 0.92 | 1.45 | 3.40 |
| Financial health | ||||||||||
| Total debt | $1.44B | $1.42B | $1.37B | $1.38B | $1.36B | $814.1M | $693.1M | $692.2M | $395.7M | $395.3M |
| Cash & short-term investments | $882.5M | $753.5M | $488.7M | $177.4M | $426.4M | $652.7M | $497.7M | $482.1M | $32.4M | $93.0M |
| Net debt | $557.8M | $666.9M | $885.7M | $1.20B | $930.2M | $161.4M | $195.4M | $210.0M | $363.3M | $302.3M |
| Debt / equity | 0.91 | 0.91 | 0.95 | 1.04 | 1.11 | 0.76 | 0.70 | 0.73 | 0.62 | 0.71 |
| Debt / assets | 0.40 | 0.40 | 0.41 | 0.42 | 0.44 | 0.35 | 0.34 | 0.36 | 0.30 | 0.33 |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 1.55 | 2.29 | 2.88 | 3.56 | 2.54 | 0.56 | 0.92 | 0.98 | 1.83 | 1.79 |
| Current ratio | 3.67 | 3.66 | 3.73 | 3.34 | 2.96 | 3.46 | 4.69 | 5.72 | 3.10 | 3.53 |
| Quick ratio | 2.33 | 2.19 | 1.90 | 1.32 | 1.64 | 2.47 | 3.02 | 3.71 | 1.37 | 1.74 |
| Interest coverage | 4.6 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 5.5 | 3.0 |
| Working capital | $1.44B | $1.37B | $1.25B | $1.09B | $1.02B | $1.09B | $1.03B | $1.00B | $462.8M | $512.6M |
| Invested capital | $2.14B | $2.22B | $2.34B | $2.54B | $2.15B | $1.24B | $1.19B | $1.16B | $998.9M | $855.3M |
| Tangible asset value | $582.6M | $532.9M | $409.1M | $245.1M | $719.7M | $652.8M | $564.0M | $519.4M | $264.8M | $227.3M |
| Net current asset value | −$64.6M | −$109.1M | −$218.7M | −$393.4M | −$349.5M | $263.6M | $278.4M | $262.9M | $13.3M | $57.2M |
| Capital allocation | ||||||||||
| Dividends paid | — | $0 | $0 | $806,000 | $606,000 | $0 | $197.0M | $318.2M | $551.7M | $811.4M |
| Share buybacks (net) | $155.1M | $24.1M | $37.2M | $62.3M | $27.9M | $59.1M | $63.0M | $13.8M | $27.6M | $10.9M |
| Dividend payout ratio | — | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 212.3% | 257.5% | 699.8% | — |
| Dividends + buybacks / free cash flow | 53.3% | 6.8% | 11.3% | — | 16.7% | 26.7% | 149.9% | 435.3% | 831.6% | 664.2% |
| Capex / revenue | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.6% | 3.5% | 2.4% | 1.6% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 2.2% | 1.5% |
| Capex / operating cash flow | 12.5% | 10.9% | 14.1% | — | 32.0% | 16.3% | 15.4% | 33.2% | 39.1% | 18.2% |
| Capex / depreciation | 0.49 | 0.48 | 0.62 | 1.42 | 1.08 | 0.78 | 0.62 | 0.80 | 1.05 | 0.69 |
| Stock-based compensation / revenue | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| SG&A / revenue | 23.9% | 22.0% | 21.0% | 20.9% | 21.7% | 18.9% | 23.2% | 22.9% | 23.2% | 23.1% |
| Efficiency | ||||||||||
| Days sales outstanding | 38.0 | 37.6 | 39.1 | 41.7 | 42.9 | 46.8 | 44.1 | 42.3 | 39.0 | 40.8 |
| Days of inventory on hand | 125.3 | 129.1 | 137.2 | 126.3 | 88.0 | 86.4 | 97.2 | 96.0 | 95.5 | 99.8 |
| Days payables outstanding | 37.9 | 32.6 | 31.4 | 35.9 | 35.3 | 33.8 | 28.2 | 25.3 | 26.4 | 27.4 |
| Cash conversion cycle (days) | 125.4 | 134.0 | 144.9 | 132.0 | 95.7 | 99.4 | 113.1 | 113.0 | 108.1 | 113.2 |
| Receivables turnover | 9.61 | 9.71 | 9.33 | 8.76 | 8.50 | 7.79 | 8.27 | 8.62 | 9.36 | 8.95 |
| Payables turnover | 9.64 | 11.19 | 11.62 | 10.17 | 10.35 | 10.79 | 12.94 | 14.42 | 13.82 | 13.34 |
| Inventory turnover | 2.91 | 2.83 | 2.66 | 2.89 | 4.15 | 4.22 | 3.76 | 3.80 | 3.82 | 3.66 |
| Asset turnover | 0.87 | 0.92 | 0.99 | 1.04 | 1.21 | 1.24 | 1.21 | 1.38 | 1.63 | 1.56 |
| Average receivables | $325.8M | $329.6M | $354.8M | $381.1M | $388.6M | $346.0M | $288.0M | $256.9M | $219.5M | $204.3M |
| Average payables | $223.6M | $201.8M | $203.3M | $230.6M | $225.4M | $177.2M | $129.8M | $106.8M | $102.8M | $95.7M |
| Average inventory | $740.0M | $798.1M | $888.1M | $811.6M | $562.4M | $452.9M | $447.0M | $405.0M | $372.1M | $349.0M |
| Intangibles / total assets | 27.6% | 28.8% | 30.9% | 33.2% | 16.2% | 18.2% | 21.3% | 22.7% | 28.5% | 27.0% |
Computed from CENT's annual financial statements (latest annual report filed November 26, 2025) and the closing share price on each fiscal year-end, adjusted for stock splits. Figures in U.S. dollars; data from EODHD. Averages use the opening and closing balance of each year.
CENT valuation and financial ratios
Based on the latest twelve months, the trailing P/E is 15.6 and the forward P/E is 12.2. Central Garden & Pet earned a return on equity of 10.4% and a return on invested capital of 9.2% in fiscal 2025. It ended the year with $1.4 billion of debt and $882.5 million in cash and short-term investments, net debt of $557.8 million. It returned $155.1 million to shareholders: $0 in dividends and $155.1 million in share buybacks, 53% of free cash flow.
See the CENT income statement, the CENT chart for price history, or the CENT stock overview for the latest quote and news.
CENT key metrics FAQ
What is Central Garden & Pet's P/E ratio?
Central Garden & Pet's trailing P/E ratio is 15.6 based on the last twelve months of earnings (as of October 18, 2026), and its forward P/E is 12.2. At the end of fiscal 2025 it was —.
What is Central Garden & Pet's return on equity?
Central Garden & Pet's return on equity (ROE) was 10.4% in fiscal 2025: net income of $162.8 million on average shareholders' equity of $1.6 billion.
What is Central Garden & Pet's ROIC?
Central Garden & Pet's return on invested capital was 9.2% in fiscal 2025, using after-tax operating income divided by average debt plus equity minus cash.
How much debt does Central Garden & Pet have?
Central Garden & Pet had total debt of $1.4 billion at the end of fiscal 2025, a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91 and $557.8 million of net debt (1.55 times EBITDA).
Does Central Garden & Pet buy back its shares?
Yes. Central Garden & Pet spent $155.1 million on net share repurchases in fiscal 2025.
What is Central Garden & Pet's current ratio?
Central Garden & Pet's current ratio was 3.67 at the end of fiscal 2025: current assets were 3.67 times current liabilities.