FLOWERS FOODS INCREASES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND AND SHARE REPURCHASE AUTHORIZATION
Flowers Foods (NYSE: FLO) announced a quarterly dividend increase of $0.22 per share, up 4.8% from last year, marking the 79th consecutive dividend payment. This raises the annualized rate to $0.88. The dividend is payable on June 23, 2022, for shareholders of record on June 9, 2022. Additionally, the board approved a 20 million share increase in share repurchase authorization, bringing total capacity to 25.4 million shares. CEO Ryals McMullian emphasized strong cash flow and a commitment to enhancing shareholder returns.
- Dividend increase to $0.22 per share reflects financial health and commitment to shareholders.
- 79 consecutive quarterly dividends paid indicates consistent shareholder return.
- Increased share repurchase authorization to 25.4 million shares supports stock value.
- None.
THOMASVILLE, Ga., May 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE: FLO), producer of Nature's Own, Dave's Killer Bread, Wonder, Canyon Bakehouse, Tastykake, and other bakery foods, today announced that its board of directors has declared a quarterly dividend of
In other actions, the board increased the company's share repurchase authorization by 20 million shares. At the close of the company's first quarter on April 23, 2022, 5.4 million shares remained under the existing authorization. With the board's action today, the current authorization increases to 25.4 million shares, affording ample repurchase capacity as the company continues to execute its growth plan and maintain balance sheet discipline.
"I am pleased to announce the board's decision to increase the dividend and share repurchase authorization, which reflects our confidence in Flowers' growth prospects and balance sheet strength," said Ryals McMullian, Flowers Foods president and CEO. "The fundamentals of our business remain strong, and we are working steadfastly to enhance our prospects. Our strong cash flow enables continued investment in our leading brands, while enhancing shareholder return via a growing dividend and opportunistic share repurchases."
The Board's authorization permits the Company to make purchases of its Common Stock from time to time in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions, subject to market and other conditions, up to the aggregate amount authorized by the Board. The Board's authorization has no expiration date.
About Flowers Foods
Headquartered in Thomasville, Ga., Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE: FLO) is one of the largest producers of packaged bakery foods in the United States with 2021 sales of
FLO–CORP FLO–DIV FLO–IR
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this filing and certain other written or oral statements made from time to time by Flowers Foods, Inc. (the "company", "Flowers Foods", "Flowers", "us", "we", or "our") and its representatives that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements relate to current expectations regarding our future financial condition and results of operations and the ultimate impact of the novel strain of coronavirus ("COVID-19") on our business, results of operations and financial condition and are often identified by the use of words and phrases such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "predict," "project," "should," "will," "would," "is likely to," "is expected to" or "will continue," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions we believe are reasonable. Forward-looking statements are based on current information and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those projected. Certain factors that may cause actual results, performance, liquidity, and achievements to differ materially from those projected are discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K (the "Form 10-K") and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC') and may include, but are not limited to, (a) unexpected changes in any of the following: (1) general economic and business conditions; (2) the competitive setting in which we operate, including advertising or promotional strategies by us or our competitors, as well as changes in consumer demand; (3) interest rates and other terms available to us on our borrowings; (4) supply chain conditions and any related impact on energy and raw materials costs and availability and hedging counter-party risks; (5) relationships with or increased costs related to our employees and third-party service providers; (6) laws and regulations (including environmental and health-related issues); and (7) accounting standards or tax rates in the markets in which we operate, (b) the ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and future responses and/or measures taken in response thereto, including, but not limited to, new and emerging variants of the virus and the efficacy and distribution of vaccines, which are highly uncertain and are difficult to predict, (c) our ability to manage the demand, supply and operational challenges with the actual or perceived effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; (d) the loss or financial instability of any significant customer(s), including as a result of product recalls or safety concerns related to our products, (e) changes in consumer behavior, trends and preferences, including health and whole grain trends, and the movement toward more inexpensive store branded products, (f) the level of success we achieve in developing and introducing new products and entering new markets, (g) our ability to implement new technology and customer requirements as required, (h) our ability to operate existing, and any new, manufacturing lines according to schedule, (i) our ability to implement and achieve our environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") goals in accordance with suppliers, regulations, and customers; (j) our ability to execute our business strategies which may involve, among other things, (1) the ability to realize the intended benefits of planned or contemplated acquisitions, dispositions or joint ventures, (2) the deployment of new systems (e.g., our enterprise resource planning ("ERP") system), distribution channels and technology, and (3) an enhanced organizational structure, (k) consolidation within the baking industry and related industries, (l) changes in pricing, customer and consumer reaction to pricing actions (including decreased volumes), and the pricing environment among competitors within the industry, (m) our ability to adjust pricing to offset, or partially offset, inflationary pressure on the cost of our products; (n) disruptions in our direct-store-delivery distribution model, including litigation or an adverse ruling by a court or regulatory or governmental body, or other regulatory developments, that could affect the independent contractor classifications of the independent distributor partners, (n) increasing legal complexity and legal proceedings that we are or may become subject to, (p) labor shortages and turnover or increases in employee and employee-related costs, (q) the credit, business, and legal risks associated with independent distributor partners and customers, which operate in the highly competitive retail food and foodservice industries, (r) any business disruptions due to political instability, pandemics, armed hostilities (including the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine), incidents of terrorism, natural disasters, labor strikes or work stoppages, technological breakdowns, product contamination, product recalls or safety concerns related to our products, or the responses to or repercussions from any of these or similar events or conditions and our ability to insure against such events, (s) the failure of our information technology ("IT") systems to perform adequately, including any interruptions, intrusions, cyber-attacks or security breaches of such systems or risks associated with the planned implementation of the upgrade of our ERP system; and (t) the potential impact of climate change on the company, including physical and transition risks, higher regulatory and compliance costs, reputational risks, and availability of capital on attractive terms. The foregoing list of important factors does not include all such factors, nor necessarily present them in order of importance. In addition, you should consult other disclosures made by the company (such as in our other filings with the SEC or in company press releases) for other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected by the company. Refer to Part I, Item 1A., Risk Factors, of the Form 10-K, Part II, Item 1A., Risk Factors of the Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 23, 2022 and subsequent filing with the SEC for additional information regarding factors that could affect the company's results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. We caution you not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as they speak only as of the date made and are inherently uncertain. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise or update such statements, except as required by law. You are advised, however, to consult any further public disclosures by the company (such as in our filings with the SEC or in company press releases) on related subjects.
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SOURCE Flowers Foods, Inc.
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