Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. Purchases New Position in Flowers Foods, Inc. $FLO

Key Points

• Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking opened a new position in Flowers Foods, buying 148,582 shares worth about $1.62 million in the fourth quarter.
• Flowers Foods reported Q1 EPS of $0.29, slightly ahead of analysts’ $0.28 estimate, while revenue rose 1.1% year over year to $1.57 billion but still came in just below expectations.
• Sentiment on the stock remains cautious: Wall Street’s consensus rating is “Reduce” with an average price target of $9.60, and the shares were trading near their 12-month low after falling 3.1% to $7.02.

Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new stake in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 148,582 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,617,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. owned approximately 0.07% of Flowers Foods as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Flowers Foods by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,091,556 shares of the company's stock valued at $229,476,000 after buying an additional 736,624 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Flowers Foods by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,245,714 shares of the company's stock valued at $163,727,000 after buying an additional 602,920 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Flowers Foods by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,718,821 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,625,000 after buying an additional 502,065 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its stake in Flowers Foods by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 5,440,909 shares of the company's stock valued at $71,004,000 after buying an additional 134,056 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Flowers Foods by 13.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,371,965 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,054,000 after buying an additional 521,670 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.45% of the company's stock.

Flowers Foods Trading Down 3.1%

NYSE:FLO opened at $7.02 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a PE ratio of 17.54 and a beta of 0.46. The firm's 50 day moving average is $8.30 and its 200 day moving average is $9.91. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a 12 month low of $6.80 and a 12 month high of $17.24.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.58 billion. Flowers Foods had a net margin of 1.59% and a return on equity of 16.61%. Flowers Foods's revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.35 EPS. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 0.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on FLO. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Flowers Foods from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, May 3rd. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on shares of Flowers Foods from $10.00 to $8.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Flowers Foods from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Flowers Foods from $11.00 to $7.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Stephens decreased their price objective on shares of Flowers Foods from $11.00 to $8.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $9.60.

Trending Headlines about Flowers Foods

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

• Positive Sentiment: Flowers Foods beat Q1 earnings expectations, posting $0.29 EPS versus the $0.28 consensus, which suggests the company is managing profitability better than analysts expected. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company reported 1.1% year-over-year revenue growth to $1.57 billion, and its Nature’s Own brand is getting a refresh with a simpler recipe and a marketing push, which could help support sales and brand momentum. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Flowers Foods also issued FY 2026 EPS guidance of $0.80-$0.90, which brackets Wall Street expectations, indicating guidance is broadly in line rather than a major upside surprise. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue came in slightly below estimates at $1.57 billion versus $1.58 billion expected, and earnings remain down from $0.35 EPS a year ago, highlighting pressure on margins and demand. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage ahead of the report pointed to ongoing “bread woes” and questions over whether innovation can offset category weakness, which may be limiting investor enthusiasm despite the earnings beat. Article Title

Insider Activity at Flowers Foods

In related news, CEO Ryals Mcmullian sold 209,000 shares of Flowers Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.03, for a total value of $1,678,270.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 813,380 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,531,441.40. The trade was a 20.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 7.23% of the company's stock.

Flowers Foods Company 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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