B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Purchases Shares of 66,727 Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG bought a new position in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 66,727 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,379,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of FLO. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Flowers Foods by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 23,596 shares of the company's stock valued at $544,000 after purchasing an additional 3,173 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its holdings in Flowers Foods by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 11,819 shares of the company's stock valued at $273,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 12.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 28,099 shares of the company's stock valued at $648,000 after buying an additional 3,080 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Flowers Foods by 94.7% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 180,227 shares of the company's stock worth $4,158,000 after buying an additional 87,654 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Flowers Foods by 1.4% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 586,008 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,519,000 after acquiring an additional 7,844 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.45% of the company's stock.

Flowers Foods Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of FLO stock traded down $0.08 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $18.24. 484,426 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,209,579. The firm has a market cap of $3.85 billion, a PE ratio of 15.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.72 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company's 50 day moving average is $18.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.65. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a 1 year low of $17.95 and a 1 year high of $26.12.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 7th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.01. Flowers Foods had a net margin of 4.86% and a return on equity of 19.48%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.20 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.18 EPS for the current year.

Flowers Foods Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.26%. Flowers Foods's dividend payout ratio is presently 82.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Flowers Foods from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Flowers Foods from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Flowers Foods from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $21.00.

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.