CENT (CENT) CEO uses 480 vested shares to cover tax withholding

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Central Garden & Pet Co CEO Nicholas Lahanas reported routine share activity related to compensation and retirement holdings. On a Form 4, he delivered 480 shares of Class A Common Stock at $34.19 per share to cover withholding tax due upon vesting of restricted stock, a non-market, tax-withholding disposition. After this transaction, he directly holds 122,350 Class A shares. He also indirectly holds 3,318.686 units in the issuer’s 401(k) plan, representing interests in a CENTA stock fund made up of company stock and cash.

Insider Trade Summary

2 transactions reported

Mixed 2 txns

Insider LAHANAS NICHOLAS

Role Chief Executive Officer

Type	Security	Shares	Price	Value
Tax Withholding	Class A Common Stock	480	$34.19	$16K
holding	Units	--	--	--

Holdings After Transaction: Class A Common Stock — 122,350 shares (Direct, null); Units — 3,318.686 shares (Indirect, By 401(k))

Footnotes (1)

1. Shares delivered by Reporting Person in payment of the withholding tax liability upon vesting of restricted stock. The amount of shares withheld is based on the average of the high and low of the sales prices of CENTA on May 15, 2026 and on May 18, 2026. The units represent interests in the CENTA Stock Fund in the Issuer's 401(k) Plan, which consist of shares of CENTA stock and cash.

Key Figures

Tax-withholding shares: 480 shares Tax-withholding price: $34.19 per share Direct Class A holdings: 122,350 shares +1 more

4 metrics

Tax-withholding shares 480 shares Shares delivered to cover withholding tax on restricted stock vesting

Tax-withholding price $34.19 per share Value applied to the 480 Class A shares delivered

Direct Class A holdings 122,350 shares Direct Class A Common Stock held after the transaction

401(k) units 3,318.686 units Interests in CENTA Stock Fund in the issuer’s 401(k) plan

Key Terms

restricted stock, withholding tax liability, 401(k) Plan, CENTA Stock Fund, +1 more

5 terms

restricted stock financial

"withholding tax liability upon vesting of restricted stock"

Shares granted to an individual that carry limits on transfer or sale until certain conditions are met, such as staying with the company for a set time or hitting performance targets. Think of them as a locked gift that gradually opens; for investors they matter because they affect how many shares may enter the market later, signal management incentives and potential dilution, and reveal confidence in future company performance.

withholding tax liability financial

"Shares delivered by Reporting Person in payment of the withholding tax liability"

401(k) Plan financial

"The units represent interests in the CENTA Stock Fund in the Issuer's 401(k) Plan"

A 401(k) plan is a workplace retirement account that lets employees set aside part of their pay into a tax-advantaged savings pot, often with employers adding matching contributions — like a workplace piggy bank for future income. It matters to investors because the amount people save and how employers fund these plans influence consumer spending, corporate payroll costs and the flow of money into financial markets, which can affect stock prices and company valuations.

CENTA Stock Fund financial

"The units represent interests in the CENTA Stock Fund in the Issuer's 401(k) Plan"

tax-withholding disposition financial

"transaction_action: "tax-withholding disposition" for the 480 shares"

A tax-withholding disposition is an event or transaction—such as selling or transferring securities, exercising options, or receiving compensation—that triggers a requirement to hold back part of the payment and remit it to tax authorities. It matters to investors because it reduces the cash they receive immediately and can change the timing and amount of taxable income, like a cashier taking a portion of your sale proceeds to pay taxes before you get the rest.

Form 4 Insider Transactions: What Each Field Means →

SEC Form 4

FORM 4

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

OMB APPROVAL

OMB Number:			3235-0287
Estimated average burden
hours per response:			0.5

Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

Check this box to indicate that a transaction was made pursuant to a contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of equity securities of the issuer that is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c). See Instruction 10.

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person^*

LAHANAS NICHOLAS

(Last) (First) (Middle)

C/O CENTRAL GARDEN & PET COMPANY

1340 TREAT BLVD, SUITE 600

(Street)

WALNUT CREEK CALIFORNIA 94597

(City) (State) (Zip)

UNITED STATES

(Country)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
CENTRAL GARDEN & PET CO [ CENT ]

5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)

X	Director		10% Owner
X	Officer (give title below)		Other (specify below)
	Chief Executive Officer

2a. Foreign Trading Symbol

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
05/16/2026

6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

X	Form filed by One Reporting Person
	Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

4. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed Of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4)	6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
			Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price
Class A Common Stock	05/16/2026		F(1)		480	D	$34.19	122,350	D
Units								3,318.686	I	By 401(k)(2)

Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)		6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		7. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 3 and 4)		8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)	9. Number of derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)	10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
				Code	V	(A)	(D)	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares

Explanation of Responses:

1. Shares delivered by Reporting Person in payment of the withholding tax liability upon vesting of restricted stock. The amount of shares withheld is based on the average of the high and low of the sales prices of CENTA on May 15, 2026 and on May 18, 2026.

2. The units represent interests in the CENTA Stock Fund in the Issuer's 401(k) Plan, which consist of shares of CENTA stock and cash.

	/s/Filomena Eickstaedt as Attorney-in-fact for Nicholas Lahanas	05/19/2026
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number.
* Form 4: SEC 1474 (03-26)

FAQ

What insider transaction did CENT CEO Nicholas Lahanas report on this Form 4?

Nicholas Lahanas reported delivering 480 shares of Class A Common Stock to cover withholding taxes on vested restricted stock. This was a tax-withholding disposition, not an open-market sale, tied directly to equity compensation vesting rather than a discretionary trade.

At what price were the 480 CENT Class A shares used for tax withholding valued?

The 480 shares used for tax withholding were valued at $34.19 per share. The filing explains this reflects the average of the high and low sales prices of CENTA on May 15, 2026 and May 18, 2026, as applied to the withholding calculation.

How many CENT Class A shares does Nicholas Lahanas hold after this Form 4 transaction?

After the tax-withholding disposition, Nicholas Lahanas directly holds 122,350 shares of Class A Common Stock. This figure in the filing shows his remaining direct equity position following the delivery of 480 shares to satisfy withholding tax on vested restricted stock.

What are the CENTA units reported in Nicholas Lahanas’s 401(k) plan?

The filing shows 3,318.686 units in a CENTA Stock Fund within the issuer’s 401(k) plan. These units represent interests composed of CENTA stock and cash, reflecting indirect retirement-plan exposure rather than directly held common shares in a regular brokerage account.

Was the reported CENT insider transaction an open-market sale or a tax-related event?

The transaction was a tax-related event, not an open-market sale. The CEO delivered 480 shares to pay withholding tax arising from restricted stock vesting, a standard mechanism for covering tax obligations on equity compensation instead of selling shares on the open market.