In fiscal 2025, which ended Sep 27, 2025, Central Garden & Pet Company generated $332.5 million of cash from operations, down 15.8% from the year before. It spent $41.4 million on capital expenditures. That left free cash flow of $291.1 million. The company returned $155.1 million in share buybacks to shareholders.
USD in millions, except per-share amounts and ratios. The percent under a figure is the change from the year before.
| Line |
FY 2026
Jun 27, 2026
|
FY 2025
Sep 27, 2025
|
FY 2024
Sep 28, 2024
|
FY 2023
Sep 30, 2023
|
FY 2022
Sep 24, 2022
|
FY 2021
Sep 25, 2021
|
FY 2020
Sep 26, 2020
|
FY 2019
Sep 28, 2019
|
FY 2018
Sep 29, 2018
|
FY 2017
Sep 30, 2017
|
FY 2013
Sep 28, 2013
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating | |||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization |
82
-5.8%
|
85
-6.5%
|
91
+3.5%
|
88
+8.3%
|
81
+8.3%
|
75
+35.0%
|
55
+8.9%
|
51
+7.7%
|
47
+10.5%
|
43
+6.8%
|
33
+8.4%
|
| Stock-based compensation |
21
+0.8%
|
21
+2.3%
|
21
-26.5%
|
28
+8.4%
|
26
+11.6%
|
23
+21.8%
|
19
+29.5%
|
15
+26.4%
|
12
+4.4%
|
11
+33.0%
|
16
+111.6%
|
| Operating cash flow |
390
+10.6%
|
333
-15.8%
|
395
+3.5%
|
382
+1221.5%
|
-34
-113.6%
|
251
-5.1%
|
264
+28.9%
|
205
+79.6%
|
114
-0.2%
|
114
|
-28
-131.7%
|
| Investing | |||||||||||
| Capital expenditures |
45
+10.0%
|
41
-4.0%
|
43
-20.1%
|
54
-53.2%
|
115
+43.4%
|
80
+86.6%
|
43
+36.3%
|
32
-16.6%
|
38
-15.3%
|
45
+61.7%
|
25
-36.4%
|
| Investing cash flow |
-72
-60.9%
|
-45
+57.3%
|
-105
-204.2%
|
-35
+75.8%
|
-143
+84.1%
|
-899
-1769.5%
|
-48
+36.9%
|
-76
+45.9%
|
-141
+13.5%
|
-163
|
-25
+43.5%
|
| Financing | |||||||||||
| Debt issued |
—
|
—
|
—
|
0
|
0
-100.0%
|
900
|
0
|
0
-100.0%
|
300
|
0
-100.0%
|
0
-100.0%
|
| Debt repaid |
0
-71.0%
|
0
-37.6%
|
0
+9.5%
|
0
-69.2%
|
1
-99.7%
|
430
+380785.8%
|
0
-99.8%
|
46
+10617.6%
|
0
-6.9%
|
0
-99.9%
|
0
-5.9%
|
| Stock buybacks |
29
-82.2%
|
155
+544.1%
|
24
-35.2%
|
37
-40.3%
|
62
+123.3%
|
28
-52.8%
|
59
-6.1%
|
63
+356.4%
|
14
-49.9%
|
28
+153.4%
|
3
-89.0%
|
| Financing cash flow |
-33
+80.3%
|
-157
-515.8%
|
-25
+32.3%
|
-38
+43.8%
|
-67
-115.9%
|
420
+794.3%
|
-61
+45.3%
|
-111
-123.3%
|
475
+4668.7%
|
-10
|
20
+336.8%
|
| Change in cash | |||||||||||
| Effect of exchange rate |
-1
-256.1%
|
-1
-175.1%
|
1
+6.1%
|
1
+133.9%
|
-4
-401.3%
|
1
+1209.0%
|
0
+135.6%
|
-0
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
| Net change in cash |
284
+98.4%
|
130
-51.0%
|
266
-14.5%
|
311
+225.6%
|
-247
-9.0%
|
-227
-245.7%
|
156
+779.8%
|
18
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
| Free cash flow |
346
+10.7%
|
291
-17.2%
|
352
+7.4%
|
328
+319.6%
|
-149
-187.5%
|
171
-22.9%
|
221
+27.6%
|
173
+127.4%
|
76
+9.5%
|
70
|
-53
-207.8%
|
| Per share | |||||||||||
| Free cash flow per share |
5.57
+15.8%
|
4.56
-13.3%
|
5.26
+7.2%
|
4.91
+323.7%
|
-2.19
-171.1%
|
3.09
-23.6%
|
4.04
+34.3%
|
3.01
+110.5%
|
1.43
+6.4%
|
1.34
|
-1.11
-208.4%
|
| Shareholder returns | |||||||||||
| Returned to shareholders |
29
|
155
|
24
|
37
|
62
|
28
|
59
|
63
|
14
|
28
|
3
|
| Share of free cash flow |
8.43%
|
53.27%
|
6.84%
|
11.34%
|
—
|
16.36%
|
26.73%
|
36.32%
|
18.09%
|
39.56%
|
—
|
| Ratios | |||||||||||
| Free cash flow margin |
11.21%
|
9.30%
|
10.99%
|
9.90%
|
-4.47%
|
5.16%
|
8.21%
|
7.28%
|
3.44%
|
3.39%
|
-3.23%
|
| Capital expenditures to revenue |
1.45%
|
1.32%
|
1.35%
|
1.63%
|
3.45%
|
2.43%
|
1.60%
|
1.33%
|
1.71%
|
2.17%
|
1.52%
|
| Stock-based compensation to revenue |
0.69%
|
0.67%
|
0.64%
|
0.85%
|
0.77%
|
0.70%
|
0.70%
|
0.62%
|
0.52%
|
0.54%
|
0.96%
|
| Cash conversion |
2.35x
|
2.04x
|
3.66x
|
3.04x
|
-0.22x
|
1.65x
|
2.19x
|
2.21x
|
0.92x
|
1.45x
|
—
|
How these figures are calculated
Annual columns are full-year amounts from the annual report (Form 10-K, 20-F, or 40-F). If a company restates a year, the latest filed number is shown. USD in millions, except per-share amounts and ratios. Capital expenditures, debt repaid, dividends, and buybacks are positive amounts. Investing and financing cash flow keep the filing sign, so an outflow is negative. Free cash flow is operating cash flow minus capital expenditures. The first column is the trailing twelve months through the latest quarter. Returned to shareholders is dividends plus buybacks. Free cash flow margin, capital expenditures, and stock-based compensation are divided by revenue. Cash conversion is operating cash flow divided by net income. More on our methodology.
Company profile
- Industry
- Wholesale-Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods (SIC 5190)
- Listed as
- CENT (Nasdaq), CENTA (Nasdaq)
- Fiscal year ends
- September 27
- Incorporated in
- DE
- Headquarters
- Walnut Creek, CA
- SEC filer status
- Large accelerated filer
- SEC CIK
- 887733
- Former names
- CENTRAL GARDEN & PET COMPANY (until Dec 15, 2004)
Other Wholesale-Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods companies
Source: SEC EDGAR filings. This is company-reported data, not investment advice.