Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 0.750-0.850 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 0.830. The company issued revenue guidance of $5.1 billion-$5.1 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $5.2 billion.

Flowers Foods Stock Performance

Flowers Foods stock opened at $7.13 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $7.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $8.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company has a market cap of $1.51 billion, a PE ratio of 20.37 and a beta of 0.40. Flowers Foods has a twelve month low of $6.80 and a twelve month high of $15.98.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by ($0.01). Flowers Foods had a net margin of 1.38% and a return on equity of 15.98%. The business had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.28 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.750-0.850 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Flowers Foods will post 0.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Flowers Foods from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $7.00 price target on Flowers Foods in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Stephens lowered their price target on Flowers Foods from $11.00 to $8.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Flowers Foods from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Flowers Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $8.00.

Insider Transactions at Flowers Foods

In other Flowers Foods news, CFO Diego Anthony Scaglione bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $7.51 per share, for a total transaction of $37,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 194,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,458,291.80. This represents a 2.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 7.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Flowers Foods

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

• Positive Sentiment: Pricing and product mix improved 1.8%, and several institutional investors increased their holdings in the second quarter. BlackRock added approximately 14.6 million shares, while FMR and Quantinno Capital also reported sizable increases. Flowers Foods Q2 Sales Fall 4% as Net Income Drops 30%
• Positive Sentiment: Chief Financial Officer Diego Scaglione purchased 5,000 FLO shares, which may signal some insider confidence despite the weak quarter. However, CEO Ryals McMullian sold 209,000 shares during the past six months. Flowers Foods Q2 Sales Fall 4% as Net Income Drops 30%
• Neutral Sentiment: Flowers Foods maintained fiscal 2026 adjusted diluted EPS guidance of $0.75 to $0.85, but the range is centered near the analyst consensus of $0.83, leaving limited evidence of an earnings upside surprise.
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue fell 4.0% year over year to $1.193 billion, below the approximately $1.23 billion analyst estimate. Adjusted EPS was $0.21, versus consensus estimates ranging from $0.22 to $0.23, and down from $0.28 a year earlier. Flowers Foods Lags Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Operating trends weakened: product volume declined 5.8%, net income dropped 30.3% to $40.7 million, and adjusted EBITDA decreased 19.2% to $111.3 million. Both Branded Retail and Other sales declined. Flowers Foods Misses on Both Lines as Bread Volumes Slide 5.8%
• Negative Sentiment: Fiscal 2026 sales guidance of approximately $5.070 billion to $5.142 billion is below the roughly $5.2 billion consensus estimate, reinforcing concerns about continued volume weakness and margin pressure. Flowers Foods Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Flowers Foods

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Flowers Foods in the first quarter worth $499,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 209.6% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 949,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,054,000 after purchasing an additional 642,942 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 7.2% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 976,456 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,562,000 after purchasing an additional 65,258 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 10.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 150,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,859,000 after purchasing an additional 14,476 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 12.2% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 744,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,157,000 after purchasing an additional 81,066 shares during the last quarter. 75.45% of the stock is owned by 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.