Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) Receives Consensus Rating of “Reduce” from Analysts

Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) has received an average rating of “Reduce” from the six analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $12.60.

FLO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stephens set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Flowers Foods in a research report on Wednesday. Zacks Research raised shares of Flowers Foods from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Flowers Foods from $15.00 to $10.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Flowers Foods in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $11.00 price target on shares of Flowers Foods in a research report on Tuesday.

Flowers Foods Stock Up 1.9%

FLO opened at $10.07 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.16 and a beta of 0.33. Flowers Foods has a one year low of $9.44 and a one year high of $20.23. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $10.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.57.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.06. Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 16.61% and a net margin of 1.59%.The business had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.22 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.900 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Flowers Foods 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 will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Flowers Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 247.50%.

Insider Activity at Flowers Foods

In other Flowers Foods news, CEO Ryals Mcmullian sold 209,000 shares of Flowers Foods stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 1,022,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,113,270.60. This trade represents a 16.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 11.57% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Flowers Foods

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. WealthCollab LLC lifted its stake in Flowers Foods by 1,623.7% in the fourth quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 2,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 2,192 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Flowers Foods in the second quarter worth about $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 262.9% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 2,620 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,898 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Flowers Foods during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA boosted 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 acquiring an additional 984 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.