Oak Thistle LLC Purchases 23,364 Shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO)

Oak Thistle LLC raised its position in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO - Free Report) by 44.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 75,487 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 23,364 shares during the quarter. Oak Thistle LLC's holdings in Flowers Foods were worth $1,435,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of FLO. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Flowers Foods during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Flowers Foods during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased 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 during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased 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 during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.45% of the company's stock.

Flowers Foods Trading Up 0.4%

FLO traded up $0.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $16.26. 2,147,205 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,644,764. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a 12 month low of $15.27 and a 12 month high of $23.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.43 billion, a PE ratio of 15.05 and a beta of 0.33. The stock's 50-day moving average is $16.23 and its 200 day moving average is $17.78.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 18.91% and a net margin of 4.49%. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.38 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Flowers Foods Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 5th were given a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.09%. This is an increase from Flowers Foods's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 5th. Flowers Foods's dividend payout ratio is presently 91.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William Jameson Mcfadden purchased 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $16.92 per share, for a total transaction of $50,760.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 532,476 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,009,493.92. This trade represents a 0.57% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director George E. Deese purchased 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $16.84 per share, with a total value of $101,040.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 2,004,990 shares in the company, valued at $33,764,031.60. The trade was a 0.30% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 12,000 shares of company stock valued at $202,440. Corporate insiders own 11.57% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on FLO shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Flowers Foods from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Flowers Foods from $20.00 to $16.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 16th.

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.