Flowers Foods, Inc. $FLO Shares Bought by Citigroup Inc.

Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) by 45.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 201,714 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 63,415 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned 0.10% of Flowers Foods worth $2,632,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FLO. Securian Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Flowers Foods by 5.7% during the third quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. now owns 15,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $206,000 after buying an additional 859 shares in the last quarter. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV lifted its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV now owns 12,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,000 after acquiring an additional 950 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 64.4% during the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,001 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 56.4% in the 2nd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,010 shares during the period. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Flowers Foods by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,097 shares of the company’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 1,038 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.45% of the company’s stock.

Flowers Foods Stock Performance

Shares of FLO stock opened at $9.09 on Friday. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a one year low of $8.71 and a one year high of $20.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.75. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $10.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.73 and a beta of 0.36.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.06. Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 16.61% and a net margin of 1.59%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.22 EPS. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.18 EPS for the current year.

Flowers Foods Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.9%. Flowers Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 247.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on FLO shares. Truist Financial cut their price target 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. Stephens set a $11.00 target price on shares of Flowers Foods in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Flowers Foods in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research cut shares of Flowers Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $11.00 target price on shares of Flowers Foods in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Flowers Foods currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $12.60.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Ryals Mcmullian sold 209,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.87, for a total transaction of $2,271,830.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,022,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,113,270.60. This trade represents a 16.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 11.57% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Flowers Foods

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

• Positive Sentiment: Flowers promoted a new president for its Simple Mills business, signaling focused leadership for the natural/plant‑based brand that could improve execution and integration within the portfolio. Flowers Foods Names New President of Simple Mills Business
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks slightly raised some quarter-specific forecasts (notably Q4 2026 and Q4 2027 estimates), but these small lifts are outweighed by broader cuts and did not change Zacks’ overall negative view. MarketBeat: FLO analyst updates
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research issued multiple downward revisions across quarters and trimmed FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts (FY2026 cut to $0.90 from $1.03; FY2027 cut to $0.96 from $1.07), lowered several quarterly estimates (Q1–Q3 2026 and various 2027 quarters), and reiterated a “Strong Sell” rating — a clear catalyst for negative investor sentiment and pressure on the share price. MarketBeat: Zacks Research note summaries

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.