Morgan Stanley released a fresh four-week sales update for the pet category using NielsenIQ All Measured Outlets data, noting a slight uptick in category growth compared with the 12-week trend. The NielsenIQ measure used in the update now incorporates Costco, xAOC+C, pet retail stores, Amazon 1P, and Chewy.com, which together affect the reported shares and growth rates among major brands.
The brief shows differentiated outcomes across companies in pet food. Colgate-Palmolive (CL) recorded year-over-year pet food sales growth of 7.8% in the latest four-week period, an increase from 7.0% in the prior 12-week span. Freshpet (FRPT) posted a 13.3% year-over-year gain, up from 12.5% in the earlier 12 weeks.
General Mills (GIS) improved to a 2.3% year-over-year rise in pet food sales, accelerating from 0.8% in the previous 12-week window. By contrast, J.M. Smucker (SJM) reported a year-over-year decline of 2.7%, a deeper drop than the 1.5% decrease seen over the prior 12 weeks.
Mars moved into positive territory with a 0.6% year-over-year increase in pet food sales after posting a 0.5% decline in the prior 12-week period. Nestle showed a 6.0% year-over-year gain, up from 5.1% previously. Post Holdings experienced the largest deterioration among the names reported, with a 13.2% year-over-year sales decline that remained unchanged from the prior 12-week period.
Turning to cat litter, the update highlights gains for category leaders. Church & Dwight (CHD) recorded an 8.2% year-over-year increase in cat litter sales, improving from 7.1% in the prior 12-week period. Clorox (CLX) posted a 5.4% year-over-year rise in cat litter sales, accelerating from a 2.7% increase in the previous period.
The data also report on private label performance: private label pet food sales were up 1.7% year-over-year in the most recent four weeks, a slowdown from 3.1% growth across the prior 12 weeks.
The release aggregates short-window sales performance across multiple retail channels and shows that while the broader pet category modestly strengthened over the short term, company-level trajectories diverged. Some branded players expanded share in pet food and cat litter, while others posted declines or stalled momentum.
Data snapshot
- Colgate-Palmolive (CL): pet food +7.8% year-over-year (prior 12-week: +7.0%)
- Freshpet (FRPT): pet food +13.3% year-over-year (prior 12-week: +12.5%)
- General Mills (GIS): pet food +2.3% year-over-year (prior 12-week: +0.8%)
- J.M. Smucker (SJM): pet food -2.7% year-over-year (prior 12-week: -1.5%)
- Mars: pet food +0.6% year-over-year (prior 12-week: -0.5%)
- Nestle: pet food +6.0% year-over-year (prior 12-week: +5.1%)
- Post Holdings (POST): pet food -13.2% year-over-year (prior 12-week: -13.2%)
- Church & Dwight (CHD): cat litter +8.2% year-over-year (prior 12-week: +7.1%)
- Clorox (CLX): cat litter +5.4% year-over-year (prior 12-week: +2.7%)
- Private label pet food: +1.7% year-over-year (prior 12-week: +3.1%)
The four-week NielsenIQ snapshot provides a short-window view that can capture recent shifts in shopper behavior across an expanded set of measured outlets. The figures show that, in aggregate, pet category growth ticked up slightly in the most recent month versus the preceding quarter-length trend, but beneath that aggregate there is clear dispersion across firms and product segments.
For market participants focused on consumer staples and specialty pet manufacturers, these short-term reads can signal shifting competitive dynamics at retail and inform near-term revenue expectations. The data also underline how channel inclusion - for example, adding Costco or Amazon 1P to the measurement set - can influence reported outcomes for companies with different distribution footprints.