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

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

1-800-FLOWERS.COM Stock Down 0.2 %

FLWS stock traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $8.14. The company had a trading volume of 489,811 shares, compared to its average volume of 339,676. The company has a 50 day moving average of $7.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $8.36. The company has a market capitalization of $522.75 million, a P/E ratio of -58.14, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.58. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM has a 1 year low of $7.01 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The specialty retailer reported ($0.51) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 period last year, the company earned ($0.48) earnings per share. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM’s quarterly revenue was down 28.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that 1-800-FLOWERS.COM will post 0.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in a research note on Saturday. DA Davidson lifted 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. Finally, StockNews.com lowered 1-800-FLOWERS.COM from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 9th.

Insider Transactions at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM

In related news, major shareholder Fund 1 Investments, Llc bought 97,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $7.64 per share, with a total value of $741,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,542,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,703,660.96. This trade represents a 2.18 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In the last 90 days, insiders have bought 208,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,547,210. Corporate insiders own 51.00% of the company’s stock.

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

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 35,215 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $288,000 after buying an additional 4,015 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 14,095 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $112,000 after acquiring an additional 1,623 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 24.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 97,904 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $778,000 after purchasing an additional 19,150 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its position in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 66.1% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 56,440 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $448,000 after purchasing an additional 22,460 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp grew its holdings in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 0.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 599,570 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,755,000 after purchasing an additional 2,886 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.