ING Groep NV Invests $4.43 Million 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 bought a new position in shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLWS - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 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 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fund 1 Investments LLC boosted its stake in 1-800 FLOWERS.COM by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC now owns 4,174,364 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $34,105,000 after acquiring an additional 461,000 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM by 63.6% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 2,941,572 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $24,033,000 after buying an additional 1,143,027 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its holdings in shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 1,284,300 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $10,493,000 after buying an additional 76,400 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 244,373 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,997,000 after buying an additional 2,663 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 190,700 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,558,000 after buying an additional 20,700 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 38.43% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at 1-800 FLOWERS.COM

In other news, major shareholder Fund 1 Investments, Llc acquired 105,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $4.57 per share, for a total transaction of $479,850.00. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 9,223,777 shares of the company's stock, valued at $42,152,660.89. This represents a 1.15% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In the last quarter, insiders have acquired 488,049 shares of company stock worth $2,347,042. Insiders own 51.00% of the company's stock.

1-800 FLOWERS.COM Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of FLWS stock traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $5.54. 259,620 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 897,305. 1-800 FLOWERS.COM, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $3.86 and a fifty-two week high of $9.69. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $6.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The stock has a market cap of $352.12 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.09 and a beta of 1.37.

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) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.34) by ($0.37). The company had revenue of $331.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $367.85 million. 1-800 FLOWERS.COM had a negative net margin of 9.88% and a negative return on equity of 7.12%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.28) EPS. Equities analysts expect that 1-800 FLOWERS.COM, Inc. will post -0.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

About 1-800 FLOWERS.COM

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.