Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) Sets New 1-Year Low – Here’s Why

Shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $11.65 and last traded at $11.8550, with a volume of 4048928 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $11.93.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on FLO. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Flowers Foods in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Flowers Foods from $20.00 to $15.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 18th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Flowers Foods in a report on Monday, August 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $15.33.

Flowers Foods Stock Down 0.6%

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $13.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.50 billion, a PE ratio of 11.40 and a beta of 0.27.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 15th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.01. Flowers Foods had a net margin of 4.30% and a return on equity of 17.85%. The business had revenue of $1.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.36 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.000-1.10 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.18 EPS for the current year.

Flowers Foods Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 5th were issued a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 5th. Flowers Foods’s payout ratio is currently 95.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Flowers Foods

In other Flowers Foods news, insider Cindy Cox sold 3,600 shares of Flowers Foods stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $54,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $254,910. The trade was a 17.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ryals Mcmullian sold 350,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.82, for a total transaction of $4,487,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,231,380 shares in the company, valued at $15,786,291.60. This trade represents a 22.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 11.57% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Flowers Foods

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 103.8% during the second 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 during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings 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 grew its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 271.4% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,737 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. 75.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Flowers Foods

Flowers Foods, Inc produces and markets packaged bakery food products in the United States. Its principal products include fresh breads, buns, rolls, snack items, bagels, English muffins, and tortillas, as well as frozen breads and rolls under the Nature's Own, Dave's Killer Bread, Wonder, Canyon Bakehouse, Mrs.