Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) Given Average Rating of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) have received a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the six analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and five have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $12.60.

FLO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Flowers Foods in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research raised shares of Flowers Foods from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Stephens set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Flowers Foods in a research 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 research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Flowers Foods from $15.00 to $10.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 13th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 completion of the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 11.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods during the second quarter worth $28,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 103.8% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in Flowers Foods during the third quarter worth about $30,000. WealthCollab LLC raised its stake in Flowers Foods by 1,623.7% in the 4th quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 2,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 2,192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in Flowers Foods by 225.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,663 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.45% of the company’s stock.

Flowers Foods Stock Up 2.7%

Flowers Foods stock opened at $9.91 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The company’s 50-day moving average is $10.83 and its 200-day moving average is $12.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.09 billion, a PE ratio of 24.78 and a beta of 0.33. Flowers Foods has a fifty-two week low of $9.44 and a fifty-two week high of $20.23.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.06. Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 16.61% and a net margin of 1.59%.Flowers Foods’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.22 earnings per share. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Flowers Foods will post 1.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Flowers Foods Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.0%. Flowers Foods’s dividend 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.