Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Raises Position in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO)

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO - Free Report) by 64.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,082,210 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 425,988 shares during the quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned about 0.51% of Flowers Foods worth $24,361,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Flowers Foods by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,913,247 shares of the company's stock valued at $491,657,000 after purchasing an additional 426,547 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in Flowers Foods by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 19,313,735 shares of the company's stock valued at $529,389,000 after purchasing an additional 243,602 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Flowers Foods by 206.0% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 17,286,504 shares of the company's stock valued at $473,823,000 after purchasing an additional 11,637,370 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in Flowers Foods by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 5,999,785 shares of the company's stock valued at $154,254,000 after purchasing an additional 450,441 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its stake in Flowers Foods by 37.0% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 4,583,334 shares of the company's stock valued at $103,171,000 after purchasing an additional 1,238,749 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.45% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Flowers Foods

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

Flowers Foods Stock Performance

Flowers Foods stock traded down $0.23 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $22.62. The stock had a trading volume of 1,023,308 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,141,099. The company has a 50-day moving average of $22.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $22.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The company has a market cap of $4.78 billion, a PE ratio of 39.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.27 and a beta of 0.39. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $19.64 and a fifty-two week high of $29.10.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting 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 analysts' expectations of $1.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.23 EPS. Flowers Foods's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Flowers Foods Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.