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

Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) has been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $12.60.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $11.00 price target on shares of Flowers Foods in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Flowers Foods in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Stephens set a $11.00 price target on shares of Flowers Foods in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Flowers Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Flowers Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th.

Flowers Foods Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE FLO opened at $8.28 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $10.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.29. The company has a market cap of $1.75 billion, a PE ratio of 20.69 and a beta of 0.36. Flowers Foods has a 52-week low of $8.17 and a 52-week high of $20.23. 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 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 prior year, the company earned $0.22 earnings per share. The firm’s 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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Flowers Foods will post 1.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Flowers Foods Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. Flowers Foods’s payout ratio is 247.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of Flowers Foods

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Flowers Foods by 34.9% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,272 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 846 shares during the last quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. now owns 15,812 shares of the company’s stock valued at $206,000 after purchasing an additional 859 shares during the period. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV increased its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV now owns 12,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 40,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $526,000 after purchasing an additional 997 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 64.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,001 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.45% of the company’s stock.

About Flowers Foods

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.