Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) Sets New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $8.15 and last traded at $8.3150, with a volume of 379732 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $8.26.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on FLO shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Flowers Foods in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $11.00 price objective on shares of Flowers Foods in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Stephens set a $11.00 target price on shares of Flowers Foods in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Flowers Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Flowers Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $12.60.

Flowers Foods Stock Up 0.1%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $10.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.75 billion, a PE ratio of 20.68 and a beta of 0.36.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.06. Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 16.61% and a net margin of 1.59%.The business’s revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.22 earnings per share. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.900 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Flowers Foods Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. Flowers Foods’s payout ratio is currently 247.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Flowers Foods

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Flowers Foods

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FLO. WealthCollab LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 2,192 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 262.9% during the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 2,620 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 1,898 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in Flowers Foods by 225.6% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,663 shares during the last quarter. 75.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.