Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $8.70 and last traded at $8.75, with a volume of 960384 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $9.10.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FLO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Zacks Research lowered shares of Flowers Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Stephens set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Flowers Foods in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $11.00 target price on shares of Flowers Foods in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Flowers Foods in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Flowers Foods from $15.00 to $10.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $12.60.

Flowers Foods Trading Down 2.4%

The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.20 and a beta of 0.36. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $10.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $11.79.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 prior year, the business posted $0.22 EPS. The business’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. As a group, analysts forecast that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Flowers Foods Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.1%. Flowers Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 247.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Flowers Foods

In other news, CEO Ryals Mcmullian sold 209,000 shares of Flowers Foods stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 11.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Flowers Foods

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FLO. WealthCollab LLC raised its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 1,623.7% in the 4th quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 2,327 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 2,192 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Flowers Foods in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in Flowers Foods by 262.9% in the fourth 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 period. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in Flowers Foods in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its stake in Flowers Foods by 225.6% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,663 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.