Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) Sets New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?
by Michael Walen · The Markets DailyFlowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO – Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $6.76 and last traded at $6.7850, with a volume of 1889707 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $6.92.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Flowers Foods from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $7.00 price target on Flowers Foods in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Stephens reduced their price objective on Flowers Foods from $8.00 to $6.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Flowers Foods from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $7.60.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on FLO
Flowers Foods Stock Performance
The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $7.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market cap of $1.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.73 and a beta of 0.39.
Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.01). Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 1.06%.The business had revenue of $1.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.28 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.750-0.850 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 0.79 EPS for the current year.
Flowers Foods Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.5%. Flowers Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 192.31%.
Insider Activity
In related news, CFO Diego Anthony Scaglione bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $7.51 per share, with a total value of $37,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 194,180 shares in the company, valued at $1,458,291.80. The trade was a 2.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 7.23% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Flowers Foods
Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in Flowers Foods by 614.0% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 1,732,960 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,690,000 after buying an additional 1,490,245 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital bought a new position in shares of Flowers Foods in the 2nd quarter valued at about $98,000. HB Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 22.7% during the 2nd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $158,000 after purchasing an additional 3,695 shares during the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 54.0% in the 2nd quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 89,833 shares of the company’s stock valued at $710,000 after purchasing an additional 31,491 shares during the period. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Flowers Foods by 22.6% in the 2nd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 30,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $243,000 after purchasing an additional 5,688 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.45% of the company’s stock.
Flowers Foods Company Profile
Flowers Foods, Inc is one of the largest producers of packaged bakery foods in the United States, offering a variety of fresh bread, buns, rolls, snack cakes and tortillas. Headquartered in Thomasville, Georgia, the company operates an extensive network of bakeries and distribution centers that serve retail grocery chains, convenience stores, mass merchandisers and foodservice customers nationwide. Flowers Foods markets its products under well-known brands such as Nature’s Own, Wonder, Dave’s Killer Bread, Mrs.