Fact based stock research
Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO)

US3434981011

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Flowers Foods stock research in summary

flowersfoods.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 53 (better than 53% compared with investment alternatives), Flowers Foods (Packaged Foods & Meats, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Flowers Foods are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 76 (better than 76% of alternatives), are safely financed (Safety Rank of 58, which means low debt burdens), but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 21). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 53, is a buy recommendation based on Flowers Foods's financial characteristics. As the company Flowers Foods's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 76) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 21) while being safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 58), it may be a safer investment because companies with low debt can better withstand times of crises. Yet the good value, better than 76% of comparable companies, may also indicate that the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity and the downside is limited due to below-average financing risks. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	76
Growth Rank	21
Safety Rank	58
Combined Rank	53

Country	USA
Industry	Packaged Foods & Meats
Index	Dividends USA, S&P US Food & Beverage, S&P MIDCAP
Size class	X-Large

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

18-Apr-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Flowers Foods

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	61	65	80	76
GROWTH
GROWTH	35	61	19	21
SAFETY
SAFETY	27	54	63	58
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	20	12	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	55	38	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 18-Apr-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Dec-2023. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Flowers Foods is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	61	65	80	76
GROWTH
GROWTH	35	61	19	21
SAFETY
SAFETY	27	54	63	58
COMBINED
COMBINED	35	72	64	53

Last update of combined financial performance: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Flowers Foods the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 76 (better than 76% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Flowers Foods shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half above average for Flowers Foods. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 70, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 70% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Flowers Foods's revenue size. The same is valid for dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 90, which means that dividends are expected to be higher than for 90% of comparable investments. On the other hand, the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is less favorable than for 56% of alternatives (only 44% of peers have an even higher ratio). The same is valid for the Price-to-Profit (or Price / Earnings, P/E) ratio, which is higher than for 53% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive compared with the company's expected profit levels. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 76, is a buy recommendation based on Flowers Foods's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a somewhat surprising picture, because it means that profits are low while dividends are high. One interpretation could be that profits are expected to increase, justifying the high dividend payments. But it could also mean that the company desperately keeps the high dividends to avoid a collapsing share price. This would be a rather dangerous constellation. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is especially important in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	69	67	70	70
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	39	46	52	47
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	27	32	42	44
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	74	88	92	90
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	61	65	80	76

Last update of Value Rank: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Flowers Foods; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 21 (better than 21% compared with alternatives), Flowers Foods shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four metrics below average for Flowers Foods. Sales Growth has a rank of 19, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 81% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth, with a rank of 37, and Capital Growth with 47. In addition, Stock Returns have a below market rank of 41, which means that the stock returns have recently been below 59% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 21, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. These are all bad growth momentum indicators. These are negative signals for investors interested in growth companies. Value is likely good for this company, as investors may have left this stock in the cold. If that is the case, investors should look at the company's outlook, especially Sentiment performance, because it may be a turnaround situation that could entail above-average stock returns in the future. But it remains a risky bet, as no growth signals are in the green zone yet. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is low here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	5	18	32	19
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	50	40	16	37
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	76	62	47
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	70	89	27	41
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	35	61	19	21

Last update of Growth Rank: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Flowers Foods.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 58 (better than 58% compared with alternatives), the company Flowers Foods has financing practices on the safer side, which mean that their overall debt burden is lower than average. This doesn't mean that the business of Flowers Foods is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for Flowers Foods. Liquidity is at 71, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 71% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 28, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 72% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 46, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 54% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 58 (better than 58% compared with alternatives), Flowers Foods has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. If the company is sailing with good winds, as may be visible from the Growth and Sentiment performance, the refinancing risk may be lower than the low Refinancing rank suggests. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	49	38	50	46
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	35	37	26	28
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	40	73	75	71
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	27	54	63	58

Last update of Safety Rank: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Flowers Foods and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	25	25	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	41	48	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	40	21	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	20	12	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Flowers Foods.
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