Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.01 EPS

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.01, FiscalAI reports. Flowers Foods had a net margin of 1.59% and a return on equity of 16.61%. The business had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.35 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Flowers Foods updated its FY 2026 guidance to 0.800-0.900 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Flowers Foods’ conference call:

• Flowers Foods said first-quarter execution and cost discipline helped deliver bottom-line results ahead of market expectations, even though comparable sales fell 1.2% on softer trends.
• Traditional loaf volumes remained pressured by heavy promotions, consumer trade-down, and macro weakness, with management saying the category is still soft and near-term top-line trends remain cautious.
• The company highlighted strong momentum in better-for-you and snacking brands, including Nature’s Own Keto, Dave’s Killer Bread, Canyon Bakehouse, and especially Simple Mills, which posted 9% retail sales growth and is expected to accelerate through 2026.
• Management emphasized the Nature’s Own relaunch with fewer, simpler ingredients and a major marketing push, calling it a key step in strengthening the brand’s position in the better-for-you segment.
• Flowers cut its annual dividend to $0.50 per share to reduce leverage and interest expense, and it ended the quarter at 3.2x net leverage, though management expects the move to improve financial flexibility and fund growth investments.

Flowers Foods Price Performance

Flowers Foods stock opened at $7.02 on Friday. Flowers Foods has a 52-week low of $6.80 and a 52-week high of $17.24. The company’s 50 day moving average is $8.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.91. The firm has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a PE ratio of 17.54 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Flowers Foods Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.1%. Flowers Foods’s dividend payout ratio is 247.50%.

Key Headlines Impacting Flowers Foods

Here are the key news stories impacting Flowers Foods this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Flowers Foods beat Q1 earnings expectations, reporting $0.29 EPS versus the $0.28 consensus, which supports the case that the business is still delivering modest profit growth. Flowers Foods (FLO) Beats Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.125 per share, implying a high annualized yield of about 7.1%, which may appeal to income-focused investors. Dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 revenue came in essentially in line with expectations at $1.57 billion, with sales up 1.1% year over year, indicating steady but limited top-line growth. FLOWERS FOODS, INC. REPORTS FIRST QUARTER 2026 RESULTS
• Neutral Sentiment: Flowers Foods reiterated FY2026 guidance of $0.80-$0.90 EPS and $5.2 billion-$5.3 billion in revenue, which was close to consensus but does not suggest a major upside surprise. FY 2026 guidance update
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, profits were down from $0.35 EPS a year ago, showing that margin pressure and sluggish category trends remain a concern for the stock. Flowers Foods: Q1 Earnings Snapshot
• Negative Sentiment: Investors may also be wary of the company’s “bread woes” and the lack of a stronger growth catalyst, even as management pushes product innovation and brand refreshes. Flowers Foods earnings on deck: Can innovation offset bread woes?

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Flowers Foods news, CEO Ryals Mcmullian sold 209,000 shares of Flowers Foods stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.03, for a total value of $1,678,270.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 813,380 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,531,441.40. The trade was a 20.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 7.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 225.6% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,663 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 64.4% in the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,001 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods in the third quarter valued at about $58,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Flowers Foods in the fourth quarter valued at about $68,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 140.7% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,061 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 2,958 shares in the last quarter. 75.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on FLO shares. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price objective on shares of Flowers Foods from $10.00 to $8.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Stephens lowered their price objective on shares of Flowers Foods from $11.00 to $8.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Flowers Foods from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Flowers Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of Flowers Foods from $11.00 to $7.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $9.60.

Flowers Foods Company Profile

Flowers Foods, Inc is one of the largest producers of packaged bakery foods in the United States, offering a variety of fresh bread, buns, rolls, snack cakes and tortillas. Headquartered in Thomasville, Georgia, the company operates an extensive network of bakeries and distribution centers that serve retail grocery chains, convenience stores, mass merchandisers and foodservice customers nationwide. Flowers Foods markets its products under well-known brands such as Nature’s Own, Wonder, Dave’s Killer Bread, Mrs.