Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Takes Position in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 195,518 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,644,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp raised its stake in Flowers Foods by 0.5% during the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 166,773 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,961,000 after acquiring an additional 809 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods during the 1st quarter worth approximately $709,000. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,422,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in Flowers Foods by 20.8% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 89,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,128,000 after purchasing an additional 15,459 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in Flowers Foods by 28.8% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 177,821 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,223,000 after buying an additional 39,810 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.45% of the company’s stock.

Flowers Foods Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FLO traded up $0.05 during trading on Monday, reaching $21.50. The company had a trading volume of 243,644 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,218,141. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $23.15 and its 200 day moving average is $23.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.54 billion, a PE ratio of 36.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.53 and a beta of 0.36. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a twelve month low of $19.64 and a twelve month high of $26.33.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). Flowers Foods had a net margin of 2.45% and a return on equity of 18.35%. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.38 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.23 EPS for the current year.

Flowers Foods Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 6th were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.47%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 6th. This is an increase from Flowers Foods’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Flowers Foods’s dividend payout ratio is 162.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on FLO shares. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Flowers Foods from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Flowers Foods in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $20.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Flowers Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Flowers Foods from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $23.20.

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.