State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Has $3.20 Million Position in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its position in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) by 21.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 141,916 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 25,321 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D owned 0.07% of Flowers Foods worth $3,195,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. HM Payson & Co. acquired a new stake in Flowers Foods during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Flowers Foods during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Flowers Foods during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Gladius Capital Management LP increased its position in Flowers Foods by 46.4% during the 3rd quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 1,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Flowers Foods during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.45% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Terry S. Thomas sold 36,577 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.11, for a total value of $845,294.47. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $987,721.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Terry S. Thomas sold 36,577 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.11, for a total value of $845,294.47. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $987,721.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Edward J. Jr. Casey bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $23.55 per share, for a total transaction of $117,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 20,330 shares in the company, valued at $478,771.50. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 11.49% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Flowers Foods Stock Performance

Shares of FLO stock opened at $24.62 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $5.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.39. Flowers Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $19.64 and a 52 week high of $29.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $23.21 and a 200-day moving average of $22.43.

Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.20. The company had revenue of $1.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.13 billion. Flowers Foods had a net margin of 2.42% and a return on equity of 18.15%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.23 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Flowers Foods, Inc. will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Flowers Foods Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Flowers Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 158.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on FLO. StockNews.com raised shares of Flowers Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of Flowers Foods in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $24.00 target price for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Flowers Foods presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $24.00.

Flowers Foods Company 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.