1-800-FLOWERS.COM (NASDAQ:FLWS) Shares Gap Up Following Insider Buying Activity

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLWS) shares gapped up before the market opened on Friday following insider buying activity. The stock had previously closed at $8.09, but opened at $8.48. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM shares last traded at $8.19, with a volume of 53,967 shares trading hands.

Specifically, major shareholder Fund 1 Investments, Llc purchased 396,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $7.73 per share, with a total value of $3,061,110.92. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 5,154,769 shares in the company, valued at $39,846,364.37. The trade was a 8.32 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Fund 1 Investments, Llc bought 73,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $8.68 per share, for a total transaction of $634,508.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,741,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,158,520.20. This represents a 1.57 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on FLWS. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in a research report on Saturday, January 18th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $7.50 target price on shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in a research report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 9th.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $7.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $8.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $515.69 million, a PE ratio of -57.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.58.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM (NASDAQ:FLWS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty retailer reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.19 by ($0.11). 1-800-FLOWERS.COM had a negative net margin of 0.50% and a positive return on equity of 2.10%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. will post 0.17 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On 1-800-FLOWERS.COM

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 3.4% in the third quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 44,533 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $353,000 after buying an additional 1,472 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 14,095 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $112,000 after acquiring an additional 1,623 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 0.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 599,570 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,755,000 after purchasing an additional 2,886 shares in the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its stake in shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 35,215 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $288,000 after purchasing an additional 4,015 shares during the period. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. 38.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM Company Profile

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc provides gifts for various occasions in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Consumer Floral & Gifts, Gourmet Foods & Gift Baskets, and BloomNet. The company offers a range of products, including fresh-cut flowers, floral and fruit arrangements, plants, gifts, personalized products, dipped berries, popcorns, gourmet foods and gift baskets, cookies, chocolates, candies, wines, and gift-quality fruits.