Zacks Research Reduces Earnings Estimates for Flowers Foods

Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Flowers Foods in a note issued to investors on Thursday, March 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will earn $0.28 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.33. Zacks Research has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Flowers Foods’ current full-year earnings is $1.18 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Flowers Foods’ Q2 2026 earnings at $0.25 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.20 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.17 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $0.90 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.32 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.24 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.20 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.19 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $0.96 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $0.88 EPS.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on FLO. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Flowers Foods in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Flowers Foods from $15.00 to $10.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $11.00 target price on shares of Flowers Foods in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Stephens set a $11.00 price target on shares of Flowers Foods in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Flowers Foods currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $12.60.

Flowers Foods Stock Up 2.3%

FLO stock opened at $9.25 on Friday. Flowers Foods has a fifty-two week low of $8.94 and a fifty-two week high of $20.23. The company has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.13 and a beta of 0.36. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $10.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $11.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.75.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.06. Flowers Foods had a net margin of 1.59% and a return on equity of 16.61%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.22 EPS. Flowers Foods’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.900 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Flowers Foods

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Alpine Global Management LLC purchased a new position in Flowers Foods in the 4th quarter worth about $180,000. DGS Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Flowers Foods during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $144,000. Kera Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Flowers Foods during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $409,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Flowers Foods in the fourth quarter worth approximately $399,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Flowers Foods by 48.1% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,333,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,032,000 after purchasing an additional 1,732,003 shares during the period. 75.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Flowers Foods

In other Flowers Foods news, CEO Ryals Mcmullian sold 209,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.87, for a total transaction of $2,271,830.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,022,380 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,113,270.60. This trade represents a 16.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 11.57% of the company’s stock.

Flowers Foods Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Flowers Foods’s payout ratio is presently 247.50%.

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.