Hestia Capital Management LLC Has $1.50 Million Stock Holdings in Flowers Foods, Inc. $FLO

Hestia Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) by 271.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 115,100 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 84,100 shares during the period. Flowers Foods accounts for 1.0% of Hestia Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Hestia Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Flowers Foods were worth $1,502,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Flowers Foods during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in Flowers Foods in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in Flowers Foods by 103.8% during the 2nd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,932 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 984 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 860.2% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,978 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,772 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 271.4% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.45% of the company’s stock.

Flowers Foods Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of FLO opened at $10.97 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.32 billion, a PE ratio of 11.92 and a beta of 0.32. The company’s fifty day moving average is $10.85 and its 200 day moving average is $13.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.79. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $9.93 and a fifty-two week high of $20.51.

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

Flowers Foods Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th were issued a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 28th. Flowers Foods’s dividend payout ratio is presently 107.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Flowers Foods news, CEO Ryals Mcmullian sold 209,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.87, for a total transaction of $2,271,830.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,022,380 shares in the company, valued at $11,113,270.60. The trade was a 16.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 11.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Flowers Foods from $15.00 to $10.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Flowers Foods in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Flowers Foods has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $13.67.

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.