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Six of seven publicly traded pet companies in GlobalPETS’ sample reported year-over-year sales growth in results covering roughly the second quarter of 2026. Growth ranged from 0.3% to 15.5%; Central Garden & Pet’s reported sales fell after it exited pet distribution, though its organic sales rose. Profit trends were mixed, and the available guidance is incomplete in the source material.
Freshpet recorded the strongest sales growth in the sample, with net sales up 15.5% to $305.6 million. The fresh dog food producer attributed the increase mainly to volume: household penetration rose 5% year over year, and the company also cited higher customer buying rates and wider channel availability. Net income increased 19%; Freshpet said a one-time equity investment connected to a previous divestiture contributed to the result.
Thailand-based i-Tail Corporation reported a 13% increase in net sales to $152 million. The company credited cat food, particularly functional and health-oriented products, while treats remained its fastest-growing segment. Net income rose 21.3%, with the company citing tariff refunds. The reported profit gains at both i-Tail and Freshpet included these one-off factors, so they do not by themselves establish an ongoing earnings trend.
Hill’s Pet Nutrition, part of Colgate-Palmolive, increased net sales 3.4% to $1.2 billion, citing e-commerce and omnichannel activity for its premium Prescription Diet line. Spectrum Brands’ Global Pet Care division grew sales 3.3% to $263.7 million, attributing the gain to pricing and product mix. It reported market share gains in chews, stain and odor products, grooming and aquatics. Spectrum CEO David Maura said a redesigned “good, better, best” price and pack structure was helping retailers organize shelves and prices.
Growth Drivers Differ by Company
The results show that growth in the sampled companies was supported by several different levers, rather than a uniform lift across the market. Volume, pricing, product mix and channel expansion featured in company explanations, alongside demand for cat food, treats and premium or diet products. How much each factor contributed varied by business.
Sales growth also did not translate into a consistent profit pattern. J.M. Smucker’s US retail pet food segment grew revenue but reported lower segment profit, while Nestlé disclosed a decline in first-half underlying trading operating profit for pet care. The comparison has limits: companies report different profit measures and periods, and some cited one-time items. For readers tracking manufacturers, revenue growth alone gives an incomplete view of operating performance.
Central Garden & Pet illustrates why reported and organic sales need to be read separately. Its pet portfolio’s reported sales fell sharply after the distribution exit, while the company said organic sales rose 2%. The exit affects the size of the reported business and, according to its CEO, will continue to weigh on reported revenue in coming quarters.
Seven Companies, Varied Reporting Periods
GlobalPETS compiled the latest results released by seven publicly traded companies, using periods it said were roughly equivalent to calendar Q2 2026. Fiscal calendars differ, so the periods are not necessarily identical. The report said the manufacturers’ pattern broadly mirrored the retailers it had analyzed, all of which posted second-quarter revenue growth; that comparison describes the respective samples, not every company in the wider pet industry.
Among the remaining results, J.M. Smucker’s US retail pet food revenue rose 1% to $371.7 million, helped by favorable volume and mix, cat food, and double-digit growth in soft and chewy snacks. Nestlé pet care sales edged up 0.3% to $5.6 billion. The company cited continued strength in cat food, improved dog food performance and pricing; it also said US growth was affected by retailer inventory reduction, while Europe benefited from premium wet cat food and e-commerce.
Central Garden & Pet reported a 19% decline in pet portfolio net sales to $400 million after exiting the pet distribution business at the start of the quarter. Its organic sales were $380 million, up 2%, with gains across most of the portfolio, particularly small animals, equine and avian. Adjusted EBITDA fell 2.3%, a result the report said was also affected by the divestiture.
“The redesigned price-pack architecture organizes the portfolio into “good, better, best” tiers and is helping retailers with shelf organization and pricing.”
— David Maura, CEO of Spectrum Brands
Profit Comparisons Have Limits
The companies did not report a common set of profit measures for matching periods. Hill’s posted a 2% operating profit figure for the quarter, while Spectrum reported adjusted EBITDA, which rose 91.8%; those metrics are not directly comparable. Nestlé’s cited underlying trading operating profit covered the first half of the year, whereas its sales figure covered the quarter. The source does not provide enough consistent detail to compare underlying profitability across all seven businesses.
GlobalPETS said six of the seven companies expected performance to increase in their fiscal year, but the supplied report text cuts off during its summary of sales-growth expectations. The full range of guidance and the specific outlook for each company therefore cannot be established from the available material. The report also does not establish whether the identified demand and channel trends will persist through the rest of the year.
Full-Year Outlooks Remain Key
The next points to watch are companies’ subsequent quarterly results and any updates to their full-year outlooks. Those releases can show whether growth tied to volume, pricing, cat food, treats and online channels continues, and whether cost, marketing and tariff effects change profit performance.
For Central Garden & Pet, reported sales in coming quarters will continue to reflect the distribution exit, according to its CEO; organic sales offer a separate measure of the remaining portfolio’s performance. Because companies use different fiscal calendars and financial measures, later comparisons will need to account for reporting periods and one-time items.
Key Questions
How many companies in the GlobalPETS sample grew sales?
Six of seven reported year-over-year sales growth in periods roughly equivalent to Q2 2026. Growth among those companies ranged from 0.3% to 15.5%.
Which company had the fastest sales growth?
Freshpet led the sample, reporting a 15.5% increase in net sales to $305.6 million. It attributed the result mainly to sales volume, including higher household penetration and buying rates.
Why did Central Garden & Pet’s reported sales fall?
The company’s pet portfolio sales fell 19% to $400 million after it exited the pet distribution business. Its organic net sales rose 2% to $380 million during the period.
Did profits rise along with sales?
Not consistently. Freshpet and i-Tail reported higher net income with contributions from one-time items, while J.M. Smucker’s segment profit declined and Nestlé’s first-half underlying trading operating profit fell. The measures and reporting periods differ across companies.
What does the report say about full-year guidance?
GlobalPETS said six of the seven companies expected performance to increase in their fiscal year. The available source text ends before completing its account of sales-growth guidance, so it does not provide the full range or each company’s forecast.
Source: rss
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