Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) Short Interest Update

Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO - Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,300,000 shares, a decline of 14.2% from the March 15th total of 2,680,000 shares. Approximately 1.2% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,190,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days.

Flowers Foods Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE FLO traded down $0.23 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $22.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,023,308 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,141,099. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.00, a P/E/G ratio of 4.27 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $22.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.26. Flowers Foods has a one year low of $19.64 and a one year high of $29.10.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20. Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 18.15% and a net margin of 2.42%. The business had revenue of $1.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.23 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Flowers Foods will post 1.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Flowers Foods Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.07%. Flowers Foods's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 158.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on FLO shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Flowers Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of Flowers Foods in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $24.00 price target on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Flowers Foods presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $24.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Terry S. Thomas sold 36,577 shares of Flowers Foods stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.11, for a total transaction of $845,294.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 42,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at $987,721.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Flowers Foods news, insider Terry S. Thomas sold 36,577 shares of Flowers Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.11, for a total value of $845,294.47. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 42,740 shares in the company, valued at $987,721.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Edward J. Jr. Casey purchased 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $23.55 per share, for a total transaction of $117,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 20,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $478,771.50. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 11.49% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Flowers Foods

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Nordea Investment Management AB purchased a new position in shares of Flowers Foods during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,018,000. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al lifted its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 93.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al now owns 472,788 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,486,000 after acquiring an additional 228,063 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in Flowers Foods by 184.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 184,170 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,085,000 after acquiring an additional 119,501 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP increased its stake in Flowers Foods by 113.8% in the 3rd quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 343,493 shares of the company's stock worth $7,619,000 after purchasing an additional 182,806 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Flowers Foods by 10,660.1% in the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 272,231 shares of the company's stock worth $6,037,000 after purchasing an additional 269,701 shares during the period. 75.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Flowers Foods

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.