Argyle Capital Management Inc. Sells 18,800 Shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO)

Argyle Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) by 22.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 65,518 shares of the company’s stock after selling 18,800 shares during the quarter. Argyle Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Flowers Foods were worth $1,475,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB bought a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods during the fourth quarter worth $5,018,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods during the fourth quarter worth $737,000. Meritage Portfolio Management raised its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 64.4% during the fourth quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 160,588 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,615,000 after acquiring an additional 62,923 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 184.8% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 184,170 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,085,000 after acquiring an additional 119,501 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp Et Al raised its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 93.2% during the third quarter. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al now owns 472,788 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,486,000 after acquiring an additional 228,063 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.45% of the company’s stock.

Flowers Foods Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of Flowers Foods stock traded down $0.27 during trading on Friday, reaching $24.62. 1,668,682 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,070,219. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $19.64 and a twelve month high of $29.10. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $23.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $22.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.45, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.39.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.23 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Flowers Foods Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.74%. Flowers Foods’s payout ratio is 158.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Flowers Foods

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

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.