UBS Group AG Lowers Position in Flowers Foods, Inc. $FLO

Key Points

• UBS Group AG cut its stake in Flowers Foods by 44.6% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 3,015,484 shares worth about $32.8 million.
• Flowers Foods CEO Ryals Mcmullian sold 209,000 shares in April, a transaction valued at about $1.68 million, reducing his ownership by 20.44%.
• The company recently reported EPS of $0.22, beating estimates, but analysts remain cautious: the stock has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $11.17.

UBS Group AG cut its stake in shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO - Free Report) by 44.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,015,484 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,425,425 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned about 1.43% of Flowers Foods worth $32,808,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Flowers Foods during the fourth quarter valued at $123,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Flowers Foods by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,091,556 shares of the company's stock valued at $229,476,000 after purchasing an additional 736,624 shares in the last quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Flowers Foods during the fourth quarter valued at $163,000. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Flowers Foods by 76.1% during the fourth quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 25,654 shares of the company's stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 11,087 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hestia Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Flowers Foods by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Hestia Capital Management LLC now owns 180,100 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,959,000 after purchasing an additional 65,000 shares in the last quarter. 75.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Ryals Mcmullian sold 209,000 shares of Flowers Foods stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.03, for a total value of $1,678,270.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale 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 Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of FLO stock opened at $8.42 on Friday. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $7.86 and a 12-month high of $17.65. 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's 50-day moving average price is $8.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.04 and a beta of 0.46.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.06. Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 16.61% and a net margin of 1.59%.The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.22 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.900 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 0.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Flowers Foods Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. Flowers Foods's payout ratio is 247.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on FLO shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded Flowers Foods from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research report on Monday. Stephens set a $11.00 price target on Flowers Foods in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research cut Flowers Foods from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen cut Flowers Foods from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, May 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Flowers Foods from $11.00 to $7.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $11.17.

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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