Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $20.59 and last traded at $20.74, with a volume of 79236 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $20.92.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Flowers Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday.

Flowers Foods Trading Down 0.6 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $22.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.48. The company has a market capitalization of $4.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.10, a P/E/G ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.37.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.03. Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 19.41% and a net margin of 4.70%. The firm had revenue of $1.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.29 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Flowers Foods Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.65%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Flowers Foods’s dividend payout ratio is currently 84.21%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Flowers Foods

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 23,779 shares of the company’s stock valued at $528,000 after buying an additional 466 shares in the last quarter. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC grew its position in Flowers Foods by 1.0% during the second quarter. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC now owns 52,779 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,172,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 4.4% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 11,819 shares of the company’s stock worth $273,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. ClearAlpha Technologies LP lifted its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. ClearAlpha Technologies LP now owns 14,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $323,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 21,728 shares of the company’s stock valued at $482,000 after purchasing an additional 603 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.45% of the company’s stock.

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.