1-800-FLOWERS.COM (NASDAQ:FLWS) Shares Gap Up Following Insider Buying Activity

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLWS) gapped up prior to trading on Friday following insider buying activity. The stock had previously closed at $8.09, but opened at $8.48. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM shares last traded at $8.19, with a volume of 53,967 shares.

Specifically, major shareholder Fund 1 Investments, Llc bought 396,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $7.73 per share, for a total transaction of $3,061,110.92. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now directly owns 5,154,769 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,846,364.37. The trade was a 8.32 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Fund 1 Investments, Llc bought 73,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was bought at an average price of $8.68 per share, with a total value of $634,508.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 4,741,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,158,520.20. This trade represents a 1.57 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FLWS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in a research report on Saturday, January 18th. StockNews.com downgraded 1-800-FLOWERS.COM from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 9th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $7.50 price objective on shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in a research report on Thursday.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $7.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $8.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $515.69 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -57.36, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.58.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM (NASDAQ:FLWS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty retailer reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.19 by ($0.11). 1-800-FLOWERS.COM had a positive return on equity of 2.10% and a negative net margin of 0.50%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. will post 0.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On 1-800-FLOWERS.COM

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FLWS. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 5.2% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,635,093 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,086,000 after purchasing an additional 129,627 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM during the third quarter worth approximately $947,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 50.3% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 340,637 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,701,000 after purchasing an additional 114,072 shares in the last quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP bought a new stake in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM during the third quarter worth approximately $484,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in the third quarter valued at $452,000. Institutional investors own 38.43% of the company’s stock.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM Company Profile

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc provides gifts for various occasions in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Consumer Floral & Gifts, Gourmet Foods & Gift Baskets, and BloomNet. The company offers a range of products, including fresh-cut flowers, floral and fruit arrangements, plants, gifts, personalized products, dipped berries, popcorns, gourmet foods and gift baskets, cookies, chocolates, candies, wines, and gift-quality fruits.