Pacer Advisors Inc. Invests $16.73 Million in Flowers Foods, Inc. $FLO

Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,281,715 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,726,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. owned about 0.61% of Flowers Foods at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in FLO. ICW Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Flowers Foods by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 59,492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,131,000 after buying an additional 598 shares in the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 2.3% in the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 32,040 shares of the company’s stock valued at $609,000 after acquiring an additional 712 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 7.3% in the second quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 11,245 shares of the company’s stock valued at $180,000 after acquiring an additional 764 shares during the period. Aviance Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 9.1% in the second quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,296 shares of the company’s stock valued at $181,000 after acquiring an additional 939 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in Flowers Foods by 103.8% during the second quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,932 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 984 shares during the period. 75.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Flowers Foods Price Performance

FLO stock opened at $10.88 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $11.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.70. The firm has a market cap of $2.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.82 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a 12 month low of $10.34 and a 12 month high of $20.92.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.23. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. Flowers Foods had a net margin of 3.78% and a return on equity of 16.35%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.33 EPS. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.020-1.08 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Flowers Foods Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th were issued a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.1%. Flowers Foods’s payout ratio is 107.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Flowers Foods from $15.00 to $10.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Flowers Foods in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $13.67.

About Flowers Foods

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.