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

Shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $10.31 and last traded at $10.3250, with a volume of 4874705 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.79.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on FLO shares. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Flowers Foods from $15.00 to $10.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Flowers Foods in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Flowers Foods has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $13.67.

Flowers Foods Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $11.15 and a 200-day moving average of $13.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.20 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 (NYSE:FLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23. Flowers Foods had a net margin of 3.78% and a return on equity of 16.35%. The company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.33 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.020-1.08 EPS. On average, 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 firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th were paid a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.6%. Flowers Foods’s dividend payout ratio is 107.61%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Flowers Foods

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in Flowers Foods during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in 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 buying an additional 984 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its position 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 worth $31,000 after buying an additional 1,663 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 860.2% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,978 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,772 shares during the period. 75.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.