1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLWS) Short Interest Update

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLWS) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,700,000 shares, an increase of 9.2% from the December 15th total of 5,220,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 372,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 15.3 days. Currently, 21.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of FLWS stock traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $8.14. 489,811 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 339,676. The firm has a market capitalization of $522.75 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -58.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.58. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM has a 12-month low of $7.01 and a 12-month high of $11.42. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $7.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $8.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM (NASDAQ:FLWS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The specialty retailer reported ($0.51) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.53) by $0.02. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM had a positive return on equity of 2.10% and a negative net margin of 0.50%. The business had revenue of $193.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $246.88 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.48) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 28.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that 1-800-FLOWERS.COM will post 0.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FLWS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in a research report on Saturday. StockNews.com cut 1-800-FLOWERS.COM from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price target on 1-800-FLOWERS.COM from $7.00 to $7.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 1-800-FLOWERS.COM news, major shareholder Fund 1 Investments, Llc acquired 97,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $7.64 per share, with a total value of $741,080.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 4,542,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,703,660.96. This represents a 2.18 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have bought a total of 208,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,547,210 in the last quarter. 51.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On 1-800-FLOWERS.COM

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FLWS. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $2,701,000 after purchasing an additional 114,072 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM during the 3rd quarter valued at about $947,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 15.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 686,961 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,540,000 after buying an additional 93,041 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 37.7% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 557,420 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $5,307,000 after acquiring an additional 152,536 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 129,627 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 38.43% of the company’s stock.

About 1-800-FLOWERS.COM

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.