Bank of America Corp DE Boosts Stock Position in Flowers Foods, Inc. $FLO

Key Points

• Bank of America increased its Flowers Foods stake by 21.1% in the first quarter, purchasing 324,229 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 1.86 million shares, worth approximately $15.2 million.
• Institutional interest remains substantial, with hedge funds and other institutions owning 75.45% of FLO; Gotham Asset Management, AQR Capital, Invesco and Qube Research also expanded their positions.
• Flowers Foods reported weak second-quarter results: revenue fell 4% year over year to $1.19 billion, EPS declined to $0.21, and net income dropped 30.3%. The company reduced its fiscal 2026 outlook, while analysts maintain an average “Reduce” rating and an $8 price target.

Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO - Free Report) by 21.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,862,467 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 324,229 shares during the quarter. Bank of America Corp DE owned about 0.88% of Flowers Foods worth $15,179,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Gotham Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Flowers Foods by 859.6% during the 4th quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 4,026,582 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,809,000 after purchasing an additional 3,606,962 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods during the fourth quarter valued at $21,680,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 70.1% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,603,093 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,082,000 after acquiring an additional 1,896,607 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Flowers Foods by 48.1% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,333,854 shares of the company's stock worth $58,032,000 after acquiring an additional 1,732,003 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in Flowers Foods by 73.6% in the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 3,683,396 shares of the company's stock worth $48,068,000 after acquiring an additional 1,561,493 shares during the last quarter. 75.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $7.00 price objective on Flowers Foods in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Flowers Foods from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Stephens dropped their target price on Flowers Foods from $11.00 to $8.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Flowers Foods from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Flowers Foods from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, May 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $8.00.

Key Stories Impacting Flowers Foods

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

• Positive Sentiment: Pricing and product mix improved 1.8%, partially offsetting weaker demand. Some institutional investors also increased their holdings, including BlackRock, which added approximately 14.6 million shares, and FMR, which increased its position substantially. Flowers Foods Q2 Sales Fall 4% as Net Income Drops 30%
• Neutral Sentiment: Management reported $52.8 million in cash at quarter-end. Insider activity was mixed: Chief Financial Officer Diego Scaglione purchased 5,000 shares, while Chairman and CEO Ryals McMullian sold 209,000 shares. Flowers Foods Q2 Sales Fall 4% as Net Income Drops 30%
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter sales declined 4.0% year over year to $1.193 billion, below the roughly $1.23 billion consensus estimate. Reported EPS was $0.21, below the $0.22-$0.23 analyst range and down from $0.28 a year earlier. Net income fell 30.3% to $40.7 million, while adjusted EBITDA dropped 19.2% to $111.3 million. Flowers Foods Misses on Both Lines as Bread Volumes Slide 5.8%
• Negative Sentiment: Volume declined 5.8%, including a 3.8% decrease in Branded Retail sales and a 4.4% decline in other sales. The volume weakness suggests pricing gains are not fully offsetting softer demand. Flowers Foods Lags Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Flowers Foods reduced its fiscal 2026 outlook to approximately $5.07 billion-$5.142 billion in sales and adjusted EPS of $0.75-$0.85, below consensus expectations of roughly $5.2 billion in revenue and $0.83 EPS. Flowers Foods Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results

Flowers Foods Stock Down 4.4%

Shares of FLO opened at $7.13 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.37 and a beta of 0.40. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $6.80 and a 52 week high of $15.98. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $7.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $8.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.01). Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 15.98% and a net margin of 1.38%.The company had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.28 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.750-0.850 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 0.85 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Diego Anthony Scaglione acquired 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The stock was bought at an average price of $7.51 per share, with a total value of $37,550.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 194,180 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,458,291.80. This represents a 2.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 7.23% of the company's stock.

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.

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