Analysts Set Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) PT at $12.60

Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) has earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the six research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and five have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $12.60.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $11.00 price target on shares of Flowers Foods in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Flowers Foods in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Truist Financial cut 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. Zacks Research raised shares of Flowers Foods from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Stephens set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Flowers Foods in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th.

Insider Activity at Flowers Foods

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Flowers Foods

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in FLO. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Flowers Foods in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 103.8% during the second quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,932 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 984 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Flowers Foods during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. WealthCollab LLC grew its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 1,623.7% during the fourth 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. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its holdings in shares of 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. 75.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Flowers Foods Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FLO opened at $10.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 1.41. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $10.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.17. Flowers Foods has a fifty-two week low of $9.44 and a fifty-two week high of $20.23. The firm has a market cap of $2.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.12 and a beta of 0.33.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. Flowers Foods had a net margin of 1.59% and a return on equity of 16.61%. Flowers Foods’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.22 EPS. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Flowers Foods will post 1.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Flowers Foods Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Flowers Foods’s dividend payout ratio is currently 247.50%.

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.