Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) Rating Increased to Hold at Zacks Research

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) was upgraded by Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on FLO. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Flowers Foods from $15.00 to $10.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Flowers Foods in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Flowers Foods presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $13.67.

Flowers Foods Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FLO opened at $11.22 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $10.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.87. The company has a market capitalization of $2.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.10 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. Flowers Foods has a twelve month low of $9.93 and a twelve month high of $20.25.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.23. The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 16.35% and a net margin of 3.78%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.33 EPS. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.020-1.08 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Flowers Foods will post 1.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Flowers Foods

In related news, CEO Ryals Mcmullian sold 209,000 shares of Flowers Foods stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.87, for a total value of $2,271,830.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,022,380 shares in the company, valued at $11,113,270.60. This trade represents a 16.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 11.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Flowers Foods during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 103.8% in the second quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,932 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 984 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Flowers Foods by 860.2% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,978 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,772 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in Flowers Foods in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, WealthCollab LLC increased its stake in Flowers Foods by 1,623.7% in the 4th quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 2,327 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 2,192 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.45% of the company’s stock.

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.