Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC Sells 207,606 Shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO)

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC trimmed its holdings in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO - Free Report) by 97.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,019 shares of the company's stock after selling 207,606 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC's holdings in Flowers Foods were worth $124,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in Flowers Foods in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its holdings in Flowers Foods by 171.8% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,623 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,658 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Flowers Foods by 34.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,713 shares of the company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 694 shares during the period. GeoWealth Management LLC bought a new position in Flowers Foods in the 4th quarter valued at $60,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Flowers Foods by 104.2% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 3,049 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 1,556 shares during the period. 75.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Flowers Foods Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of FLO stock traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $16.49. The stock had a trading volume of 2,908,966 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,625,920. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $17.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.43. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a 52-week low of $16.29 and a 52-week high of $23.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.48 billion, a PE ratio of 14.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.72 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 16th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.38 by ($0.03). Flowers Foods had a net margin of 4.86% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.60 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.38 EPS. Flowers Foods's revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Flowers Foods Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 19th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.00%. This is a boost from Flowers Foods's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Flowers Foods's payout ratio is currently 88.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Flowers Foods from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. DA Davidson cut their price target on shares of Flowers Foods from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Flowers Foods from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Flowers Foods from $20.00 to $16.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $19.25.

About Flowers Foods

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.