Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) Position Increased by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) by 780.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 38,343 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 33,986 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Flowers Foods were worth $729,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in Flowers Foods in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in Flowers Foods in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in Flowers Foods by 617.3% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 1,463 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Flowers Foods by 34.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,713 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 694 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Flowers Foods in the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.45% of the company’s stock.

Flowers Foods Stock Down 0.9%

Flowers Foods stock opened at $15.87 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.69 and a beta of 0.34. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a 1-year low of $15.84 and a 1-year high of $23.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $17.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.78.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 16th. The company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.60 billion. Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 18.91% and a net margin of 4.49%. The business’s revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.38 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Flowers Foods Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 19th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This is an increase from Flowers Foods’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.24%. Flowers Foods’s payout ratio is presently 91.67%.

Insider Transactions at Flowers Foods

In other Flowers Foods news, Director George E. Deese bought 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $16.84 per share, for a total transaction of $101,040.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,004,990 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,764,031.60. The trade was a 0.30% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director William Jameson Mcfadden bought 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $16.92 per share, for a total transaction of $50,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 532,476 shares in the company, valued at $9,009,493.92. This represents a 0.57% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 12,000 shares of company stock worth $202,440. 11.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Flowers Foods from $20.00 to $16.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Flowers Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $19.25.

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.