Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) Reaches New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $5.86 and last traded at $5.9150, with a volume of 13240217 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $5.94.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Flowers Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. Weiss Ratings raised Flowers Foods from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Stephens lowered their price objective on Flowers Foods from $8.00 to $6.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $7.00 price objective on Flowers Foods in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Flowers Foods currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $7.60.

Flowers Foods Trading Down 0.6%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $7.18 and its 200-day moving average is $7.82. The company has a market cap of $1.25 billion, a PE ratio of 22.67 and a beta of 0.39.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.01). Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 1.06%.The company had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.28 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.750-0.850 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 0.8 EPS for the current year.

Flowers Foods Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.5%. Flowers Foods’s payout ratio is currently 192.31%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Flowers Foods by 266.3% during the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 44,298 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,000 after acquiring an additional 32,203 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods in the 2nd quarter worth about $121,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 3,225.7% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 60,328 shares of the company’s stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 58,514 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 232.5% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 4,319 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 3,020 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Flowers Foods by 35.6% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 117,012 shares of the company’s stock valued at $924,000 after purchasing an additional 30,699 shares during the last quarter. 75.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Flowers Foods Company Profile

Flowers Foods, Inc is a U.S.-based producer and distributor of packaged bakery foods. The company makes breads, buns, rolls, snack cakes, tortillas and related baked goods for retail, foodservice and other commercial customers.

Its portfolio includes nationally recognized brands such as Nature’s Own, Dave’s Killer Bread, Wonder, Tastykake, Canyon Bakehouse and Mrs. Freshley’s. Flowers Foods also supplies baked goods through regional and local brands, serving grocery stores, mass merchants, club retailers, restaurants and foodservice distributors.

Founded in 1919 and headquartered in Thomasville, Georgia, Flowers Foods operates bakeries and distribution facilities across the United States.