Short Interest in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLWS) Rises By 9.2%

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

1-800-FLOWERS.COM Trading Down 3.2 %

Shares of FLWS traded down $0.26 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $7.77. The stock had a trading volume of 1,156,932 shares, compared to its average volume of 610,030. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.26. The firm has a market cap of $498.99 million, a P/E ratio of -70.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.58. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $6.56 and a fifty-two week high of $11.42.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM (NASDAQ:FLWS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty retailer reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.11). 1-800-FLOWERS.COM had a negative return on equity of 0.77% and a negative net margin of 0.43%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that 1-800-FLOWERS.COM will post 0.17 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $7.50 target price on shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com cut shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in a research note on Saturday, January 18th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Fund 1 Investments, Llc bought 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $7.18 per share, with a total value of $359,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 4,224,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,330,933.52. This trade represents a 1.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders acquired 803,405 shares of company stock worth $6,292,721. 51.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FLWS. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM during the third quarter worth approximately $947,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 50.3% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 340,637 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,701,000 after buying an additional 114,072 shares in the last quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM during the 3rd quarter valued at $484,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM during the 3rd quarter valued at $452,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 55.1% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 136,020 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,295,000 after acquiring an additional 48,321 shares during the last quarter. 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.