Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) Shares Purchased by First Horizon Advisors Inc.

First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) by 524.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,122 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,622 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Flowers Foods were worth $70,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of FLO. HM Payson & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Gladius Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 46.4% in the 3rd quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 1,539 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 488 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Flowers Foods during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. 75.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Flowers Foods Stock Performance

NYSE:FLO opened at $25.09 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $5.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $19.64 and a 52 week high of $29.10. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.64.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.20. The company had revenue of $1.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.13 billion. Flowers Foods had a return on equity of 18.15% and a net margin of 2.42%. Flowers Foods’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.23 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Flowers Foods Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.67%. Flowers Foods’s dividend payout ratio is currently 158.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FLO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson assumed coverage on Flowers Foods in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $24.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised Flowers Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $24.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Edward J. Jr. Casey acquired 5,000 shares of Flowers Foods stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $23.55 per share, for a total transaction of $117,750.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 20,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $478,771.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Terry S. Thomas sold 36,577 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,740 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $987,721.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Edward J. Jr. Casey purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $23.55 per share, for a total transaction of $117,750.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 20,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $478,771.50. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 11.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Flowers Foods 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.