JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers Stock Position in Flowers Foods, Inc. $FLO

JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) by 27.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 483,170 shares of the company’s stock after selling 185,226 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 0.23% of Flowers Foods worth $6,305,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 139.1% during the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 4,295,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,060,000 after purchasing an additional 2,499,194 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods in the second quarter valued at about $37,674,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its holdings in Flowers Foods by 73.6% during the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 3,683,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,068,000 after buying an additional 1,561,493 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Flowers Foods during the third quarter worth about $16,726,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Flowers Foods by 76.7% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,706,486 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,941,000 after buying an additional 1,175,157 shares during the period. 75.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Ryals Mcmullian sold 209,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,022,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,113,270.60. This trade represents a 16.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 11.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on FLO shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Flowers Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Stephens set a $11.00 price target on Flowers Foods in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Flowers Foods from $11.00 to $7.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Flowers Foods in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Flowers Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $11.80.

More Flowers Foods News

Here are the key news stories impacting Flowers Foods this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Supreme Court oral arguments are underway over an arbitration exemption for drivers who don’t cross state lines; implications for Flowers are uncertain because distribution and delivery labor rules could shift costs or contracting practices but no direct company-specific outcome yet. SCOTUS debates arbitration exemption for drivers who don’t cross state lines
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank cut its price target on FLO from $11 to $7 and moved to a “hold” rating, citing inflation pressures and demand risks — the downgrade signals analyst skepticism about near-term margin and volume recovery. Deutsche Bank Lowers FLO Price Target to $7 on Inflation and Demand Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Flowers announced the departure of Chief Growth Officer Terry Thomas and said it will dissolve the chief growth officer role as part of a leadership streamlining. Investors may view this as a cost-saving move but it raises questions about the company’s growth strategy and execution at a time when margin/demand headwinds are already a concern. FLOWERS FOODS ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE OF CHIEF GROWTH OFFICER TERRY THOMAS Flowers Foods nixes chief growth officer position

Flowers Foods Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of NYSE FLO opened at $8.16 on Wednesday. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $7.97 and a 12-month high of $20.23. The company has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a PE ratio of 20.39 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $9.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.03.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.22 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.900 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Flowers Foods Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. Flowers Foods’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.