Zacks Research upgraded shares of Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO – Free Report) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report published on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.
Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Flowers Foods from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Stephens cut their price target on Flowers Foods from $11.00 to $8.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered Flowers Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 3rd. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price target on Flowers Foods from $10.00 to $8.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Flowers Foods from $11.00 to $7.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $9.60.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on FLO
Flowers Foods Trading Up 13.7%
Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.58 billion. Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 1.38%.The firm’s revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.35 earnings per share. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.900 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Flowers Foods will post 0.87 EPS for the current year.
Flowers Foods Cuts Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be issued a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 12th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.3%. Flowers Foods’s payout ratio is presently 247.50%.
Insider Activity
In other news, CEO Ryals Mcmullian sold 209,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.03, for a total value of $1,678,270.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 813,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,531,441.40. The trade was a 20.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 7.23% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FLO. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Flowers Foods in the first quarter valued at approximately $499,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 209.6% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 949,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,054,000 after purchasing an additional 642,942 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 7.2% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 976,456 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,562,000 after purchasing an additional 65,258 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 10.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 150,404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,859,000 after purchasing an additional 14,476 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 12.2% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 744,714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,157,000 after purchasing an additional 81,066 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.45% of the company’s stock.
Key Stories Impacting Flowers Foods
Here are the key news stories impacting Flowers Foods this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Flowers Foods beat Q1 earnings estimates, reporting $0.29 per share versus $0.28 expected, and revenue grew 1.1% year over year. The earnings beat helped offset concerns about slower volume trends. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Management is emphasizing debt reduction and cost control, with leverage targeted below 3x by fiscal 2027. Investors appear encouraged that freeing up cash could support future buybacks or a re-rating of the stock. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: The company also launched a refreshed Nature’s Own brand and a “simpler recipe” marketing push, which could help demand over time but is not yet a near-term financial catalyst. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Q1 profit declined from a year ago and the company cut its dividend by 50%, signaling pressure from higher costs and a shift to preserve cash for balance-sheet repair. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Revenue came in slightly below estimates and volumes were soft, suggesting that pricing and acquisition-related growth are only partially offsetting weakness in the core bread business. Article Title
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.
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