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Flowers Foods (FLO)
NYSE:FLO

Flowers Foods (FLO) AI Stock Analysis

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Flowers Foods

(NYSE:FLO)

Rating:65Neutral
Price Target:
$17.50
▲(10.34%Upside)
Flowers Foods' overall score is influenced by solid financial performance and an attractive dividend yield, offset by bearish technical signals and cautious earnings guidance. The company's strategic focus on innovation and brand strength offers potential for long-term improvement despite current market challenges.
Positive Factors
Brand Strategy
Management's approach in creating smaller loaves to help consumers stay within budget and expanding the DKB brand into new formats is appreciated.
Margins
Adjusted gross margins expanded driven by improved input costs and optimization of the non-retail business.
Market Position
The company is well positioned with its portfolio of healthier brands for the continued decline of the white bread segment.
Negative Factors
Competitive Pressure
The likelihood exists that competitors start to step up their own activities, leading to incremental brand support needs for FLO.
Sales Growth
It is tough to get excited about another year of tepid sales growth.
White Bread Segment
White bread remains a large part of the overall business, and at least low single-digit top line growth is necessary to gain investor attention.

Flowers Foods (FLO) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Flowers Foods Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionFlowers Foods, Inc. produces and markets packaged bakery products in the United States. It offers fresh breads, buns, rolls, snack cakes, and tortillas, as well as frozen breads and rolls under the Nature's Own, Dave's Killer Bread, Wonder, Canyon Bakehouse, Mrs. Freshley's, and Tastykake brand names. The company distributes its products through a direct-store-delivery distribution and a warehouse delivery system, as well as operates 46 bakeries comprising 44 owned and two leased. Its customers include mass merchandisers, supermarkets and other retailers, convenience stores, national and regional restaurants, quick-serve chains, retail in-store bakeries, foodservice distributors, food wholesalers, institutions, dollar stores, and vending companies. The company was formerly known as Flowers Industries and changed its name to Flowers Foods, Inc. in 2001. Flowers Foods, Inc. was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Thomasville, Georgia.
How the Company Makes MoneyFlowers Foods generates revenue primarily through the sale of its various bakery products. The company maintains a vast distribution network that allows it to supply its products to a wide range of retail and foodservice customers, including supermarkets, convenience stores, restaurants, and institutions. A significant portion of its revenue comes from branded retail sales, with brands like Nature's Own and Dave's Killer Bread enjoying strong consumer loyalty. Additionally, Flowers Foods benefits from its direct-store-delivery (DSD) model, optimizing distribution and ensuring product freshness. The company also engages in strategic acquisitions to expand its brand portfolio and market reach, contributing to its revenue streams. Key revenue streams include branded product sales, private label sales, and partnerships with large retail chains, which enhance its market presence and drive earnings.

Flowers Foods Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:May 16, 2025
(Q1-2025)
|
% Change Since: -5.71%|
Next Earnings Date:Aug 07, 2025
Earnings Call Sentiment Neutral
The earnings call reflects a balanced sentiment, acknowledging significant challenges in core categories and economic uncertainties while highlighting strategic initiatives and emerging segment performances that aim to counteract these issues.
Q1-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Unit Share Maintained
Despite facing greater than expected declines in the category, Flowers Foods held unit share, highlighting the importance of their portfolio strategy and brand strength.
Innovation and Expansion Initiatives
Investments in on-trend innovation and targeting growth in faster-growing categories and adjacencies are ongoing, aiming to align the portfolio with consumer tastes and drive sustainable growth.
Promotional Strategy Yields Results
Increased promotional activity around differentiated offerings like Dave's Killer Bread has led to higher lifts, particularly towards the end of the quarter.
New Business Wins
Significant space gains from new business wins are expected to mitigate some headwinds experienced in the core category.
Foodservice Business Margin Improvement
Despite a decline in overall foodservice sales, profitability and margins in the foodservice business continue to improve.
Negative Updates
Weak Core Packaged Bread Category
The core packaged bread category faced greater than expected declines, with particular weakness in the traditional open white bread segments.
EBITDA Margin Guidance Reduced
EBITDA margin guidance was reduced by about 30 to 40 basis points due to category trends and tariff impacts.
Tariff Impacts
Unexpected tariff impacts from countries other than Canada and Mexico, affecting input costs for ingredients like sugar, wheat gluten, and palm oil.
Private Label and Away From Home Challenges
Weakness in private label and away from home segments due to lost bid business and overall foodservice sales decline.
Uncertain Economic Environment
Challenges in forecasting improvements due to dynamic and fluid economic conditions, with no significant improvements expected until 2026.
Company Guidance
During the Flowers Foods' First Quarter 2025 Results Conference Call, the company provided guidance emphasizing their strategic focus amidst challenging market conditions. Ryals McMullian, the CEO, acknowledged that although the company managed to maintain its unit share in a declining category, they anticipate improvements no sooner than 2026, given the current economic uncertainty and consumer health trends. The company is focusing on innovation and targeting growth opportunities in faster-growing categories, such as healthier bread options, and leveraging their brand strengths. They are also addressing consumer preferences with smaller loaf offerings and have noted the successful early performance of their Wonder mini half loaf. Despite a decrease in EBITDA margin guidance by 30-40 basis points, attributed primarily to gross margins and tariff impacts, Flowers Foods remains committed to achieving their long-term targets of 12-14% EBITDA margin, leveraging branded growth and fixed cost efficiencies. Additionally, the company is facing challenges in food service sales but is restructuring to improve profitability, while new private label business is expected to mitigate some volume losses.

Flowers Foods Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Flowers Foods presents a solid financial profile with stable income and strong cash flow, supported by a balanced balance sheet. There is a slight dip in revenue and operational margins, but the company maintains effective leverage management and cash flow generation.
Income Statement
75
Positive
Flowers Foods shows stable revenue with a slight decline in the latest TTM. The gross profit margin remains strong at 49.65%, and the net profit margin is healthy at 4.49% for the TTM. However, both EBIT and EBITDA margins have slightly decreased, indicating potential pressure on operating efficiency.
Balance Sheet
70
Positive
The balance sheet reflects a moderate debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, indicating a balanced approach to leverage. The return on equity is reasonable at 16.11%, showing effective use of shareholder funds. However, the equity ratio stands at a moderate 32.72%, suggesting a need for careful management of liabilities.
Cash Flow
80
Positive
The company demonstrates strong cash flow management with a free cash flow growth of 13.61% over the previous year. The operating cash flow to net income ratio is robust at 1.94, while the free cash flow to net income ratio of 1.40 indicates efficient cash conversion. Overall, cash flow metrics are a strong point for Flowers Foods.
Breakdown
TTMDec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Mar 2022Mar 2021
Income StatementTotal Revenue
5.08B5.10B5.09B4.81B4.33B4.39B
Gross Profit
2.52B2.53B2.46B2.30B2.16B2.19B
EBIT
336.17M380.42M172.87M303.21M294.92M321.49M
EBITDA
510.05M525.65M345.80M469.96M438.99M380.74M
Net Income Common Stockholders
228.07M248.12M123.42M228.39M206.19M152.32M
Balance SheetCash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments
7.34M5.00M22.53M165.13M185.87M307.48M
Total Assets
4.33B3.40B3.43B3.31B3.25B3.32B
Total Debt
2.13B1.36B1.35B1.19B1.21B1.32B
Net Debt
2.12B1.35B1.33B1.03B1.02B1.02B
Total Liabilities
2.91B1.99B2.08B1.87B1.84B1.95B
Stockholders Equity
1.42B1.41B1.35B1.44B1.41B1.37B
Cash FlowFree Cash Flow
318.80M280.58M220.28M191.82M133.76M356.54M
Operating Cash Flow
443.11M412.66M349.35M360.89M344.61M454.46M
Investing Cash Flow
-972.76M-172.67M-403.81M-151.09M-191.44M-73.99M
Financing Cash Flow
521.17M-257.52M-88.15M-222.17M-274.78M-84.04M

Flowers Foods Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Negative
Last Price15.86
Price Trends
50DMA
17.08
Negative
100DMA
17.81
Negative
200DMA
19.50
Negative
Market Momentum
MACD
-0.28
Positive
RSI
34.32
Neutral
STOCH
6.75
Positive
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For FLO, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 15.86 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 16.46, below the 50-day MA of 17.08, and below the 200-day MA of 19.50, indicating a bearish trend. The MACD of -0.28 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 34.32 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 6.75 is Positive, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for FLO.

Flowers Foods Risk Analysis

Flowers Foods disclosed 28 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Flowers Foods reported the most risks in the "Production" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Flowers Foods Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (65)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
76
Outperform
$3.33B23.008.40%11.47%2.59%
72
Outperform
$4.65B27.4017.73%2.25%0.69%27.48%
66
Neutral
$2.63B11.338.59%3.96%-0.24%26.74%
FLFLO
65
Neutral
$3.38B14.9016.34%6.18%-1.02%81.53%
65
Neutral
$8.77B15.114.67%3.71%3.60%-2.96%
58
Neutral
$2.22B29.288.20%2.74%0.49%-12.32%
THTHS
54
Neutral
$1.04B158.960.43%-3.37%-65.26%
* Consumer Defensive Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
FLO
Flowers Foods
15.86
-5.55
-25.92%
JJSF
J & J Snack Foods
111.87
-51.21
-31.40%
SMPL
The Simply Good Foods Company
32.78
-3.72
-10.19%
LANC
Lancaster Colony
167.80
-16.21
-8.81%
THS
TreeHouse Foods
20.16
-15.60
-43.62%
NOMD
Nomad Foods
16.95
0.91
5.67%

Flowers Foods Corporate Events

Executive/Board ChangesShareholder Meetings
Flowers Foods Holds Annual Shareholders Meeting
Neutral
May 29, 2025

On May 22, 2025, Flowers Foods, Inc. held its Annual Meeting of Shareholders where all 11 director-nominees were elected for one-year terms. The shareholders approved the executive compensation and ratified the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the independent public accounting firm. However, a shareholder proposal to adopt a policy for an independent board chair was not approved.

The most recent analyst rating on (FLO) stock is a Hold with a $23.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Flowers Foods stock, see the FLO Stock Forecast page.

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.