Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Acquires 201,946 Shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. $FLO

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) by 144.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 341,394 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 201,946 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in Flowers Foods were worth $2,782,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods during the first quarter worth $499,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in Flowers Foods by 209.6% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 949,688 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,054,000 after purchasing an additional 642,942 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Flowers Foods by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 976,456 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,562,000 after purchasing an additional 65,258 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Flowers Foods by 10.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 150,404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,859,000 after purchasing an additional 14,476 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in Flowers Foods by 12.2% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 744,714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,157,000 after purchasing an additional 81,066 shares during the period. 75.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Flowers Foods Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Flowers Foods stock opened at $8.62 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.83 billion, a PE ratio of 24.62 and a beta of 0.39. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $7.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.77. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a 52-week low of $6.80 and a 52-week high of $16.85.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.58 billion. Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 15.98% and a net margin of 1.38%.Flowers Foods’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.35 EPS. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.900 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 0.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Flowers Foods Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 26th. Investors of record on Friday, June 12th were paid a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 12th. Flowers Foods’s dividend payout ratio is 142.86%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FLO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stephens cut their price objective on shares of Flowers Foods from $11.00 to $8.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 18th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Flowers Foods from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Zacks Research upgraded Flowers Foods from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen cut Flowers Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 3rd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price objective on Flowers Foods from $10.00 to $8.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $9.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Diego Anthony Scaglione acquired 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $7.51 per share, for a total transaction of $37,550.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 194,180 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,458,291.80. This trade represents a 2.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 7.23% 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.