Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) Posts Earnings Results

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.23, FiscalAI reports. Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 17.85% and a net margin of 4.30%.The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.33 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Flowers Foods updated its FY 2025 guidance to 1.020-1.08 EPS.

Flowers Foods Stock Performance

FLO traded up $0.25 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $11.90. 6,724,958 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,849,625. The company’s 50-day moving average is $13.07 and its 200 day moving average is $15.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.51 billion, a PE ratio of 11.44 and a beta of 0.26. Flowers Foods has a 52 week low of $11.45 and a 52 week high of $23.04.

Flowers Foods Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 5th were paid a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 5th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.3%. Flowers Foods’s dividend payout ratio is currently 107.61%.

Insider Activity at Flowers Foods

In other Flowers Foods news, 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,231,380 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,786,291.60. The trade was a 22.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Cindy Cox sold 3,600 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at $254,910. The trade was a 17.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 11.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Flowers Foods

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Flowers Foods by 59.5% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,841,985 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,435,000 after purchasing an additional 687,488 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 209.6% in the 1st 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. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,245,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,727,000 after purchasing an additional 602,920 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 64.2% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,531,329 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,180,000 after buying an additional 598,753 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its position in Flowers Foods by 34.2% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 2,121,903 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,908,000 after buying an additional 540,933 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.45% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Flowers Foods Company Profile

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.