Advisors Asset Management Inc. Acquires 158,234 Shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. $FLO

Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) by 55.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 445,993 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 158,234 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. owned 0.21% of Flowers Foods worth $5,820,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Flowers Foods in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 103.8% in the 2nd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,932 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 984 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 860.2% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,978 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,772 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 271.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,737 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.45% of the company’s stock.

Flowers Foods Trading Down 2.9%

NYSE:FLO opened at $11.35 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.57. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a one year low of $9.93 and a one year high of $20.23. The company has a market cap of $2.40 billion, a PE ratio of 12.34 and a beta of 0.33. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $11.01 and a 200-day moving average of $12.56.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.23 billion. Flowers Foods had a net margin of 3.78% and a return on equity of 16.35%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.22 EPS. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on FLO shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Flowers Foods in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research raised shares of Flowers Foods from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on Flowers Foods from $15.00 to $10.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $13.67.

Key Headlines Impacting Flowers Foods

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

• Positive Sentiment: Reported quarterly EPS beat certain consensus estimates — Flowers announced $0.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the Zacks consensus of $0.16, which supports near‑term earnings credibility. Flowers Foods (FLO) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Company issued its full press release, slide deck and conference call — useful for digging into adjustments, one‑time items and management commentary to reconcile differing headlines. FLOWERS FOODS, INC. REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2025 RESULTS
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational leadership updates — Flowers named David Roach as Chief DSD Operations Officer and announced leadership for a newly formed cake division; these moves affect distribution/DSD execution but are longer‑term in nature. Flowers names leaders for DSD, newly formed cake division
• Negative Sentiment: Fiscal‑2026 EPS guidance was lowered versus Street expectations — management provided EPS guidance of $0.80–$0.90 while the consensus stood around $0.99, which pressured the stock because it implies slower near‑term earnings growth than analysts expected. FLOWERS FOODS, INC. REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2025 RESULTS
• Negative Sentiment: Third‑party financial breakdown showed a GAAP operating loss and net loss in Q4, revenues slightly below Street, and notable insider/institutional selling — these items raise concerns about margin pressure (costs, ERP expenses) and investor sentiment. Flowers Foods (FLO) Stock Falls on Q4 2025 Earnings

Insider Buying and Selling at Flowers Foods

In related news, CEO Ryals Mcmullian sold 209,000 shares of Flowers Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.87, for a total transaction of $2,271,830.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,022,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,113,270.60. The trade was a 16.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 11.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Flowers Foods Profile

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.