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

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLWS) was the recipient of a significant 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 stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 372,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 15.3 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Fund 1 Investments, Llc purchased 61,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $7.33 per share, with a total value of $447,130.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 4,285,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,411,718.12. The trade was a 1.44 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders have acquired 803,405 shares of company stock valued at $6,292,721 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 51.00% of the company’s stock.

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

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in FLWS. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $947,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position 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 worth $2,701,000 after buying an additional 114,072 shares in the last quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP bought a new stake in shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in the third quarter worth $484,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in the third quarter valued at $452,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 55.1% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 136,020 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,295,000 after acquiring an additional 48,321 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 38.43% of the company’s stock.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM Trading Down 3.2 %

NASDAQ:FLWS traded down $0.26 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $7.77. 1,156,932 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 610,030. The firm has a market cap of $498.99 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -70.64, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.58. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $8.26. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM has a 52-week low of $6.56 and a 52-week high of $11.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.41.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FLWS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in a research report on Saturday, January 18th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $7.50 price objective on shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in a research note on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered 1-800-FLOWERS.COM from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM Company Profile

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.