Vanguard Group Inc. Has $265.63 Million Stock Position in Flowers Foods, Inc. $FLO

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its holdings in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,354,932 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,022,869 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.10% of Flowers Foods worth $265,632,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC raised its holdings in Flowers Foods by 7.3% during the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 47,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $614,000 after buying an additional 3,221 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 21.0% during the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 137,318 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,792,000 after acquiring an additional 23,789 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 16.0% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 7,789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 1,074 shares during the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Flowers Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $90,000. Finally, ICW Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 67,066 shares of the company’s stock valued at $875,000 after acquiring an additional 4,512 shares in the last quarter. 75.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Flowers Foods Price Performance

NYSE:FLO opened at $9.89 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. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a one year low of $9.44 and a one year high of $20.23. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $10.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.06. The stock has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.71 and a beta of 0.33.

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%. The business’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.22 EPS. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.900 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Flowers Foods Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Flowers Foods’s payout ratio is currently 247.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Zacks Research cut Flowers Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Stephens set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Flowers Foods in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Flowers Foods in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Flowers Foods from $15.00 to $10.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Flowers Foods in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $12.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Flowers Foods news, CEO Ryals Mcmullian sold 209,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,022,380 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,113,270.60. This trade represents a 16.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 11.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.