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Six of seven publicly traded pet companies analyzed by GlobalPETS reported higher sales in periods roughly corresponding to calendar Q2 2026. Freshpet led with 15.5% growth, while Central Garden & Pet’s reported sales fell 19% after it exited pet distribution; its organic sales rose 2%.
Freshpet reported a 15.5% year-over-year increase in net sales to $305.6 million. The company attributed the rise to higher sales volume, including a 5% increase in household penetration, more frequent customer purchases and expanded channel penetration. Thailand-based i-Tail Corporation reported sales up 13% to $152 million, citing demand for cat food, particularly functional and health-oriented products. Treats remained its fastest-growing segment.
Both companies also reported higher net income: 19% at Freshpet and 21.3% at i-Tail. Their explanations included one-off items. Freshpet received an equity investment connected to a previous divestiture, while i-Tail reported tariff refunds, according to the source report.
Other gains were more modest. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, part of Colgate-Palmolive, increased sales 3.4% to $1.2 billion, with e-commerce and omnichannel activity supporting its premium Prescription Diet range. Spectrum Brands’ Global Pet Care division rose 3.3% to $263.7 million, attributing growth to pricing and product mix, alongside share gains in several categories. J.M. Smucker’s US retail pet food sales grew 1% to $371.7 million, while Nestlé pet care sales edged up 0.3% to $5.6 billion.
Central Garden & Pet was the only company in the sample with lower reported sales: its pet portfolio fell 19% to $400 million. The company’s exit from pet distribution at the start of the quarter drove the decline. Excluding that business, organic sales increased 2% to $380 million, with gains across most of the portfolio, especially small animals, equine and avian, GlobalPETS reported.
Growth Varied Across Pet Categories
The results show that aggregate sales growth does not mean companies faced the same conditions or shared the same sources of growth. Some benefited from volume and household penetration, while others cited pricing, product mix, cat food demand or online sales. That variation matters to retailers and suppliers weighing which categories and channels are gaining momentum.
Profit measures were less consistent than sales figures. Freshpet and i-Tail’s net income gains included one-off contributions, while J.M. Smucker reported a 2% decline in segment profit amid higher costs and marketing spending. Hill’s reported a 2% operating profit for the quarter; Spectrum Brands reported adjusted EBITDA up 91.8%. These figures cover different measures, so they do not provide a direct comparison of underlying profitability across the group.
Central Garden & Pet’s results also illustrate why reported revenue needs context: its decline followed a business exit, even as organic sales increased. Investors and industry observers therefore need to distinguish changes in continuing operations from portfolio changes when assessing demand.
Seven Companies, Different Reporting Periods
GlobalPETS reviewed the latest results from seven publicly traded companies. The periods covered were roughly equivalent to the second calendar quarter of 2026, but the companies’ fiscal calendars do not align exactly. The figures are year-over-year comparisons as stated in the report.
The report said the manufacturer results broadly echoed a separate pattern among pet retailers: all retailers in the comparison sample posted revenue growth in the second quarter. Across manufacturers, however, the range extended from a marginal 0.3% increase at Nestlé to Freshpet’s 15.5% rise, with Central Garden & Pet’s reported decline linked to its divestiture.
Drivers cited across companies included demand for cat food and treats, favorable price-volume or product mix, market-share gains in premium and diet offerings, and channel expansion. Cost pressures, tariffs, investment and divestitures also affected reported profit or revenue. The source material does not provide a uniform set of financial measures for all seven manufacturers.
“Six of seven companies analyzed increased sales in Q2 2026, with a favorable price-volume mix and channel expansion offsetting market and cost pressures.”
— GlobalPETS
Profit Comparisons Remain Limited
The report compares companies whose fiscal quarters may not match calendar Q2 and whose disclosures use different profit measures. It is not possible from the supplied material to rank their underlying profitability on a consistent basis. Freshpet’s and i-Tail’s profit increases also included one-off items, while Nestlé supplied a first-half underlying trading operating profit figure rather than a quarterly figure; that measure fell 4.6%.
Full-year outlooks are also incomplete in the source material. It says six of the seven companies expect performance to increase in their fiscal year, but the provided text cuts off before giving the full sales-growth forecast range. The outlooks generally cover entire companies, including businesses beyond pet care.
Full-Year Outlooks Remain Partial
Investors and industry readers will get a clearer picture as companies release subsequent quarterly and full-year results, including whether the reported demand drivers persist and how costs affect margins. Central Garden & Pet’s distribution exit is expected by its CEO to continue weighing on reported revenue in coming quarters.
The source report says six of the seven companies expect performance to increase in their fiscal year, but the available material does not specify the complete guidance range or provide pet-only forecasts for most companies. Those details, along with comparable profitability measures, remain necessary to assess how much of the sales growth translates into sustained earnings.
Key Questions
How many companies reported sales growth?
Six of seven companies in GlobalPETS’ sample reported higher sales in periods roughly corresponding to calendar Q2 2026.
Which company had the fastest sales growth?
Freshpet led the group with a 15.5% year-over-year increase in net sales to $305.6 million.
Why did Central Garden & Pet sales fall?
Its reported pet portfolio sales declined 19% to $400 million after the company exited pet distribution. Its organic sales rose 2% to $380 million during the period.
Were profits up across the group?
No uniform conclusion is available. Companies reported different profit measures and mixed results: some reported gains, while J.M. Smucker’s segment profit fell 2% and Nestlé’s first-half pet care underlying trading operating profit declined 4.6%.
Do the results cover the same three months?
Not exactly. GlobalPETS said the reporting periods were roughly equivalent to calendar Q2 2026, but fiscal quarters vary by company.
Source: rss
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