ING Groep NV Acquires New Shares in 1-800 FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLWS)

Key Points

• ING Groep NV has acquired a new stake in 1-800 FLOWERS.COM by purchasing 750,000 shares, totaling approximately $4.4 million, which represents a 1.18% ownership in the company.
• Recently released quarterly data indicates that 1-800 FLOWERS.COM reported a loss of ($0.71) EPS, which was significantly lower than the consensus estimate of ($0.34), and the company's revenue decreased by 23.1% year-over-year.
• Analysts have recently downgraded their ratings on 1-800 FLOWERS.COM, with Weiss Ratings showing a "sell" rating and other firms changing from "hold" to "sell," reflecting growing concerns about the company's financial performance.

ING Groep NV acquired a new stake in shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLWS - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 750,000 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $4,425,000. ING Groep NV owned approximately 1.18% of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its position in 1-800 FLOWERS.COM by 68.6% in the first quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 59,382 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $350,000 after acquiring an additional 24,167 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd raised its holdings in 1-800 FLOWERS.COM by 405.4% in the 1st quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 56,616 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 45,413 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in 1-800 FLOWERS.COM by 123.7% during the first quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 13,671 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 7,561 shares during the period. Avory & Company LLC boosted its position in shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM by 93.4% in the first quarter. Avory & Company LLC now owns 31,599 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $186,000 after acquiring an additional 15,257 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 91,101 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $744,000 after purchasing an additional 10,584 shares during the period. 38.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jonathan J. Feldman sold 6,864 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.80, for a total value of $32,947.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 56,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $272,664. The trade was a 10.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Fund 1 Investments, Llc purchased 19,920 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $5.06 per share, with a total value of $100,795.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,527,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $48,207,885. This represents a 0.21% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders purchased 488,049 shares of company stock worth $2,347,042. 51.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on FLWS. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Noble Financial lowered 1-800 FLOWERS.COM from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th.

1-800 FLOWERS.COM Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of FLWS traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $5.95. The stock had a trading volume of 278,651 shares, compared to its average volume of 931,123. The firm has a market cap of $378.18 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.25 and a beta of 1.37. 1-800 FLOWERS.COM, Inc. has a twelve month low of $3.86 and a twelve month high of $9.69. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $5.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $6.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

1-800 FLOWERS.COM (NASDAQ:FLWS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The specialty retailer reported ($0.71) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.34) by ($0.37). 1-800 FLOWERS.COM had a negative net margin of 9.88% and a negative return on equity of 7.12%. The firm had revenue of $331.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $367.85 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.28) EPS. The business's revenue was down 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that 1-800 FLOWERS.COM, Inc. will post -0.07 EPS for the current year.

1-800 FLOWERS.COM Profile

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc provides gifts for various occasions in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Consumer Floral & Gifts, Gourmet Foods & Gift Baskets, and BloomNet. The company offers a range of products, including fresh-cut flowers, floral and fruit arrangements, plants, gifts, personalized products, dipped berries, popcorns, gourmet foods and gift baskets, cookies, chocolates, candies, wines, and gift-quality fruits.