AM Investment Strategies LLC Has $1.99 Million Stock Position in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO)

AM Investment Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) by 653.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 88,171 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 76,465 shares during the quarter. Flowers Foods accounts for about 0.6% of AM Investment Strategies LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. AM Investment Strategies LLC’s holdings in Flowers Foods were worth $1,985,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. HM Payson & Co. bought a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 46.4% during the third quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 1,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.45% of the company’s stock.

Flowers Foods Price Performance

NYSE:FLO traded down $0.14 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $24.89. The company had a trading volume of 986,046 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,180,804. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $23.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $22.40. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a one year low of $19.64 and a one year high of $29.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.25 billion, a PE ratio of 42.91, a PEG ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20. Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 18.15% and a net margin of 2.42%. The firm had revenue of $1.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.23 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Flowers Foods Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Flowers Foods’s dividend payout ratio is currently 158.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Terry S. Thomas sold 36,577 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.11, for a total transaction of $845,294.47. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 42,740 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $987,721.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Director Edward J. Jr. Casey purchased 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $23.55 per share, with a total value of $117,750.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 20,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $478,771.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Terry S. Thomas sold 36,577 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.11, for a total value of $845,294.47. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $987,721.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 11.49% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on FLO. DA Davidson began coverage on Flowers Foods in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $24.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Flowers Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Flowers Foods has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $24.00.

Flowers Foods Profile

Flowers Foods, Inc produces and markets packaged bakery food products in the United States. Its principal products include fresh breads, buns, rolls, snack items, bagels, English muffins, and tortillas, as well as frozen breads and rolls under the Nature's Own, Dave's Killer Bread, Wonder, Canyon Bakehouse, Mrs.