Central Garden & Pet Announces Fourth Quarter EPS of $(0.14)

Central Garden & Pet Company CENT today announced fourth quarter and full year results for its fiscal year ended September 25, 2010. The Company reported net sales of $347 million in the quarter, a decrease of four percent compared to $363 million in the comparable fiscal 2009 period. For the quarter, the Company reported an operating loss of $4.6 million compared to operating income of $19.9 million in the year ago period. The net loss was $8.8 million, or $0.14 per fully diluted share, compared to a net income of $8.0 million, or $0.12 per fully diluted share, in the year ago period. The results for the quarter include a non-cash, pre-tax charge of $12.0 million related to the impairment of an intangible asset. Without the impairment charge, operating income would have been $7.4 million and the net loss for the quarter would have been $1.1 million, or $0.02 per fully diluted share. Sales of branded products decreased seven percent to $291 million and sales of other manufacturers' products increased eight percent to $56 million. Depreciation and amortization was $7.2 million compared to $7.3 million in the year ago period. The quarter ending debt balance was $400 million compared to $408 million a year ago. The quarter ending Leverage Ratio, as defined in the Company's credit agreement, was 2.57 times.