Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $6.00 and last traded at $5.9750, with a volume of 2910244 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $6.09.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on FLO shares. Stephens cut their price target on shares of Flowers Foods from $8.00 to $6.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 24th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $7.00 price target on Flowers Foods in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Flowers Foods from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Flowers Foods from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Flowers Foods has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $7.60.

Flowers Foods Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $7.31 and a 200 day moving average of $7.90. The stock has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a PE ratio of 23.59 and a beta of 0.39.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. Flowers Foods had a net margin of 1.06% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.28 earnings per share. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.750-0.850 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 0.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Flowers Foods Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. Flowers Foods’s dividend payout ratio is presently 192.31%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Flowers Foods

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 266.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 44,298 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 32,203 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Flowers Foods in the second quarter valued at about $121,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Flowers Foods by 3,225.7% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 60,328 shares of the company’s stock worth $477,000 after buying an additional 58,514 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 232.5% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 4,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 3,020 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 35.6% in the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 117,012 shares of the company’s stock valued at $924,000 after acquiring an additional 30,699 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.45% of the company’s stock.

About Flowers Foods

Flowers Foods, Inc is a U.S.-based producer and distributor of packaged bakery foods. The company makes breads, buns, rolls, snack cakes, tortillas and related baked goods for retail, foodservice and other commercial customers.

Its portfolio includes nationally recognized brands such as Nature’s Own, Dave’s Killer Bread, Wonder, Tastykake, Canyon Bakehouse and Mrs. Freshley’s. Flowers Foods also supplies baked goods through regional and local brands, serving grocery stores, mass merchants, club retailers, restaurants and foodservice distributors.

Founded in 1919 and headquartered in Thomasville, Georgia, Flowers Foods operates bakeries and distribution facilities across the United States.