Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.06 EPS

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.06, Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 16.27% and a net margin of 1.59%.The firm’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.22 earnings per share. Flowers Foods updated its FY 2026 guidance to 0.800-0.900 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Flowers Foods’ conference call:

• Finished 2025 at the high end of guidance with Q4 net sales up ~11%, materially aided by the Simple Mills acquisition (+4.7%) and an extra week (+7.8%).
• Dave’s Killer Bread (DKB) and other core brands drove share gains — specialty premium loaf +60 bps, DKB unit sales +3%, and share increases in breakfast and buns/rolls — supporting brand-led growth opportunities.
• Simple Mills integration is progressing well, contributing $57.5M in net sales and $6.3M in Adjusted EBITDA in Q4, with the company planning its largest innovation year for the brand in 2026.
• The company recorded a $136 million non‑cash impairment and reported GAAP diluted EPS of a $0.32 loss (adjusted EPS $0.22), while net debt/TTM adjusted EBITDA rose to ~3.3x, signalling elevated leverage and balance‑sheet risk.
• Management expects 2026 to be an investment and transition year with ~4% assumed category headwinds, one fewer week (~1.5% sales headwind), near‑term margin pressure from marketing/innovation and inflation, and guidance of net sales $5.163–$5.267B, adjusted EBITDA $465–$495M, and adjusted EPS $0.80–$0.90.

Flowers Foods Price Performance

FLO opened at $10.35 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.18 billion, a PE ratio of 25.86 and a beta of 0.33. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $11.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.52. Flowers Foods has a 1 year low of $9.84 and a 1 year high of $20.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.57.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Flowers Foods news, CEO Ryals Mcmullian sold 209,000 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,022,380 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,113,270.60. This trade represents a 16.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 11.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Flowers Foods

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Flowers Foods by 64.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,001 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 1.7% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 87,202 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,393,000 after purchasing an additional 1,455 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 225.6% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,663 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 7.1% during the third quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 25,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 1,696 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in Flowers Foods by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 22,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $243,000 after buying an additional 1,702 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.45% of the company’s stock.

More Flowers Foods News

Here are the key news stories impacting Flowers Foods this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus — Flowers reported $0.22 EPS vs. $0.16 expected and revenue +11% year‑over‑year, showing top‑line momentum. Flowers Foods Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates, Sales Advance 11%
• Positive Sentiment: Improved operating cash generation was highlighted in summaries, which could support balance‑sheet flexibility and execution of turnaround initiatives. Flowers Foods (FLO) Stock Falls on Q4 2025 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Some of the revenue growth reflects a 53rd week and contribution from the Simple Mills acquisition — helpful to near‑term comps but not a pure organic acceleration. Flowers Foods Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates, Sales Advance 11%
• Neutral Sentiment: Management announced a multiyear brand and operational review and plans to target a recovery in traditional loaf volumes — a strategic move that could help margins but will take time to show results. Flowers Foods outlines multiyear brand and operational review while targeting traditional loaf recovery
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 guidance disappointed — management set EPS guidance of $0.80–$0.90 versus a ~$0.99 street consensus, which was the primary catalyst for the share decline and analyst re‑ratings. Flowers Foods Falls as Headwinds Weigh on 2026 Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and commentary emphasize ongoing margin pressure and execution risk; some coverage also highlights GAAP timing/charge effects and large insider/institutional position moves that add short‑term volatility. Flowers Foods stock falls 5% as 2026 earnings guidance disappoints

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Flowers Foods from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Truist Financial lowered 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Flowers Foods in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $13.67.

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.