Mackenzie Financial Corp Has $918,000 Stock Position in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO)

Mackenzie Financial Corp trimmed its position in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) by 35.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 40,767 shares of the company’s stock after selling 22,484 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp’s holdings in Flowers Foods were worth $918,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mastrapasqua Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Flowers Foods by 5.1% in the third quarter. Mastrapasqua Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $217,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the period. Gladius Capital Management LP increased its position in Flowers Foods by 46.4% in the third quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 1,539 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in Flowers Foods by 5.9% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 12,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $277,000 after purchasing an additional 696 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 57,303 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,271,000 after buying an additional 780 shares during the period. Finally, AM Investment Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. AM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 11,706 shares of the company’s stock valued at $260,000 after acquiring an additional 805 shares during the last quarter. 75.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Flowers Foods news, Director Edward J. Jr. Casey bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $23.55 per share, with a total value of $117,750.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 20,330 shares in the company, valued at $478,771.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Flowers Foods news, insider Terry S. Thomas sold 36,577 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.11, for a total transaction of $845,294.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 42,740 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $987,721.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Edward J. Jr. Casey purchased 5,000 shares of Flowers Foods stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $23.55 per share, with a total value of $117,750.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,330 shares in the company, valued at $478,771.50. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 11.49% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Flowers Foods Price Performance

NYSE FLO opened at $24.89 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $23.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.40. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a 52-week low of $19.64 and a 52-week high of $29.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market cap of $5.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.91, a PEG ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.39.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20. Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 18.15% and a net margin of 2.42%. The business had revenue of $1.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.23 EPS. Flowers Foods’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Flowers Foods Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.70%. Flowers Foods’s payout ratio is 158.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Flowers Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. DA Davidson assumed coverage on Flowers Foods in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $24.00 price target for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $24.00.

Flowers Foods Company 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.