Vise Technologies Inc. Acquires New Position in Flowers Foods, Inc. $FLO

Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 73,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,178,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 270.3% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,449,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,610,000 after purchasing an additional 5,437,735 shares during the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 91.6% during the first quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,392,872 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,548,000 after purchasing an additional 4,011,428 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Flowers Foods by 209.6% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 949,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,054,000 after acquiring an additional 642,942 shares during the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 8,028.8% in the first quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 489,272 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,301,000 after buying an additional 483,253 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Flowers Foods during the first quarter worth $6,134,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.45% of the company’s stock.

Flowers Foods Stock Performance

FLO traded up $0.10 on Thursday, hitting $11.61. 190,672 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,867,864. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The company has a 50 day moving average of $12.87 and a 200-day moving average of $15.08. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $11.33 and a 12-month high of $23.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.45 billion, a PE ratio of 11.13 and a beta of 0.26.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23. Flowers Foods had a net margin of 4.30% and a return on equity of 17.85%. The company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.33 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.020-1.08 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Flowers Foods Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 5th were given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 5th. Flowers Foods’s payout ratio is 107.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Flowers Foods in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $15.00 price target on shares of Flowers Foods in a report on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Flowers Foods from $20.00 to $15.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $15.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Cindy Cox sold 3,600 shares of Flowers Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $54,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $254,910. This trade represents a 17.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Ryals Mcmullian sold 350,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.82, for a total value of $4,487,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,231,380 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,786,291.60. This trade represents a 22.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 11.57% of the company’s stock.

Flowers Foods Profile

Flowers Foods, Inc produces and markets packaged bakery food products in the United States. Its principal products include fresh breads, buns, rolls, snack items, bagels, English muffins, and tortillas, as well as frozen breads and rolls under the Nature's Own, Dave's Killer Bread, Wonder, Canyon Bakehouse, Mrs.