Central Garden Loss Narrows

(RTTNews) - Central Garden & Pet Co (CENTA) Wednesday reported fourth-quarter net loss of $4 million or $0.08 per share compared with a loss of $22.6 million or $0.47 per share last year.

Excluding items, adjusted loss for the quarter was $0.12 per share compared with a loss of $0.22 per share a year ago.

Central Garden, based in Walnut Creek, California, produces products for the pet, and lawn and garden supplies markets. The company's revenues for the quarter rose a modest 1% from a year ago to $374 million.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters estimated a loss of $0.22 per share on revenues of $373.7 million for the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The company said that trends in the fourth quarter of 2014 and the first quarter of 2015 to-date have been generally positive.

While the company still expects results to be uneven, it believes that the significant improvements relative to the fourth quarter of 2013 and first quarter of 2014 indicate that the its balanced strategy is taking hold.

The company also said that it does not currently expect the strength experienced in the most recent quarters to carry into the second and third quarters, due in part to factors affecting its wild bird feed business including lost distribution and on previously reduced product pricing in fiscal 2014. These factors are expected to have a negative impact on revenues and profits.