Zacks Research Reduces Earnings Estimates for Flowers Foods

Key Points

• Zacks Research has reduced its Q3 2025 earnings estimate for Flowers Foods from $0.27 to $0.24 per share, reflecting a broader trend of lowered earnings expectations.
• Flowers Foods reported a net margin of 4.30% and a return on equity of 17.85% in its latest quarter, while also achieving $1.24 billion in revenue, which was slightly below expectations.
• The company's quarterly dividend of $0.2475 reflects a 6.7% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 95.19%, signaling a significant commitment to shareholder returns despite fluctuations in earnings estimates.

Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q3 2025 earnings estimates for shares of Flowers Foods in a research note issued on Friday, September 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will earn $0.24 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.27. The consensus estimate for Flowers Foods' current full-year earnings is $1.18 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Flowers Foods' Q4 2025 earnings at $0.18 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $1.06 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.33 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.28 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.29 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.19 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.10 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.38 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.28 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $1.13 EPS.

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

Flowers Foods Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE FLO traded down $0.51 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $13.76. 5,499,271 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,517,567. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $15.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.88. Flowers Foods has a 52 week low of $13.75 and a 52 week high of $23.87. The company has a market cap of $2.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.23 and a beta of 0.29.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $1.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. Flowers Foods had a net margin of 4.30% and a return on equity of 17.85%. Flowers Foods's revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.36 earnings per share. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.000-1.10 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Flowers Foods

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Flowers Foods by 6.3% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,245,714 shares of the company's stock valued at $163,727,000 after purchasing an additional 602,920 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Flowers Foods by 91.6% during the first quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,392,872 shares of the company's stock valued at $159,548,000 after purchasing an additional 4,011,428 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Flowers Foods by 3.4% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,701,163 shares of the company's stock valued at $123,065,000 after purchasing an additional 251,923 shares in the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP grew its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 2.9% during the first quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 5,612,523 shares of the company's stock valued at $106,694,000 after buying an additional 159,460 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 9.6% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,850,295 shares of the company's stock worth $61,528,000 after purchasing an additional 337,399 shares during the last quarter. 75.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Flowers Foods

In related news, insider Cindy Cox sold 3,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total transaction of $54,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $254,910. This represents a 17.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 11.57% of the company's stock.

Flowers Foods Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. Flowers Foods's payout ratio is 95.19%.

Flowers Foods Company 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.