Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. Purchases 4,011,428 Shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. $FLO

Key Points

• Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Flowers Foods, Inc. by 91.6% during the first quarter, owning approximately 3.98% of the company after acquiring over 4 million shares.
• Several institutional investors, including Charles Schwab Investment Management and Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, also significantly increased their stakes in Flowers Foods during the same period.
• Flowers Foods has announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.2475 per share, marking a dividend yield of 6.3% while maintaining a high payout ratio of 95.19%.

Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO - Free Report) by 91.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,392,872 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,011,428 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. owned about 3.98% of Flowers Foods worth $159,548,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of FLO. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in Flowers Foods during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in Flowers Foods during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in Flowers Foods by 617.3% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,700 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,463 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Flowers Foods by 2,191.6% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,177 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 2,082 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in Flowers Foods by 904.8% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,502 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 2,253 shares in the last quarter. 75.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on FLO. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Flowers Foods from $20.00 to $15.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 18th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $15.00 target price on shares of Flowers Foods in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Flowers Foods from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Flowers Foods from $20.00 to $16.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Flowers Foods currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $15.33.

Flowers Foods Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FLO traded up $0.3450 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $15.8350. 3,895,760 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,668,568. The company's 50-day moving average is $15.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The company has a market capitalization of $3.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.23 and a beta of 0.32. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a 1 year low of $15.27 and a 1 year high of $23.87.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 15th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.27 billion. Flowers Foods had a net margin of 4.30% and a return on equity of 17.85%. The business's revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.36 EPS. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.000-1.10 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Flowers Foods Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be issued a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. Flowers Foods's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.19%.

Insider Transactions at Flowers Foods

In other news, Director Thomas Caldecot Chubb III bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $16.88 per share, for a total transaction of $50,640.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 45,861 shares of the company's stock, valued at $774,133.68. The trade was a 7.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director William Jameson Mcfadden bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $16.92 per share, with a total value of $50,760.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 532,476 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,009,493.92. The trade was a 0.57% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders bought 12,000 shares of company stock worth $202,440. 11.57% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Flowers Foods Profile

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.