Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 0.800-0.900 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 0.840. The company issued revenue guidance of $5.2 billion-$5.3 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $5.2 billion.

Flowers Foods Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FLO traded down $0.22 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $7.02. 15,654,592 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,879,811. Flowers Foods has a fifty-two week low of $6.80 and a fifty-two week high of $17.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a PE ratio of 17.54 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.94.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.01. 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.58 billion. Flowers Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.900 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Flowers Foods will post 0.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Flowers Foods Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.1%. Flowers Foods’s payout ratio is 247.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on FLO shares. Stephens decreased their price target on shares of Flowers Foods from $11.00 to $8.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Flowers Foods from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Flowers Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price target on shares of Flowers Foods from $10.00 to $8.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Flowers Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $9.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Ryals Mcmullian sold 209,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 813,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,531,441.40. This trade represents a 20.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 7.23% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Flowers Foods

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Flowers Foods by 64.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,001 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in Flowers Foods by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 87,202 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,393,000 after purchasing an additional 1,455 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in Flowers Foods by 225.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,663 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Flowers Foods by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 25,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 1,696 shares during the period. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 22,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 1,702 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.45% of the company’s stock.

About Flowers Foods

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.