Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) Sets New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) shares reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $6.27 and last traded at $6.25, with a volume of 5666093 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $6.27.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $7.00 target price on Flowers Foods in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Stephens lowered their price objective on shares of 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. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Flowers Foods from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Flowers Foods from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $7.60.

Flowers Foods Trading Down 1.8%

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $1.32 billion, a PE ratio of 23.87 and a beta of 0.39.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by ($0.01). Flowers Foods had a net margin of 1.06% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The company had revenue of $1.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.28 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 0.79 EPS for the current year.

Flowers Foods Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. Flowers Foods’s dividend payout ratio is presently 192.31%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 34.9% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,272 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 846 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Flowers Foods by 64.4% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 1,001 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Flowers Foods by 7.6% in the first quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $132,000 after buying an additional 1,155 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 3.1% in the first quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 43,305 shares of the company’s stock valued at $353,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 1.7% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 87,202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,393,000 after buying an additional 1,455 shares during the last quarter. 75.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.