1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLWS) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLWS) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 5,170,000 shares, an increase of 10.2% from the November 15th total of 4,690,000 shares. Approximately 19.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 330,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 15.6 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on FLWS shares. DA Davidson increased their target price on 1-800-FLOWERS.COM from $7.00 to $7.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 9th.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM Price Performance

FLWS stock opened at $7.85 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $504.13 million, a PE ratio of -56.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.60. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $8.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $8.67. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM has a 1 year low of $7.14 and a 1 year high of $11.42. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The specialty retailer reported ($0.51) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.53) by $0.02. The business had revenue of $193.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $246.88 million. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM had a positive return on equity of 2.10% and a negative net margin of 0.50%. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM’s quarterly revenue was down 28.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.48) earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that 1-800-FLOWERS.COM will post 0.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Fund 1 Investments, Llc sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.80, for a total transaction of $312,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,674,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,660,039.20. This trade represents a 1.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 51.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FLWS. Barclays PLC grew its position in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 24.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 97,904 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $778,000 after purchasing an additional 19,150 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 66.1% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 56,440 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $448,000 after acquiring an additional 22,460 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 0.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 599,570 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,755,000 after acquiring an additional 2,886 shares during the last quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in the third quarter valued at about $484,000. Finally, Paloma Partners Management Co bought a new stake in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM during the third quarter worth about $121,000. 38.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.