Short Interest in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLWS) Increases By 10.2%

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

1-800-FLOWERS.COM Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FLWS traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $7.91. 261,137 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 326,858. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM has a twelve month low of $7.14 and a twelve month 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $507.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -56.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $8.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.69.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM (NASDAQ:FLWS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The specialty retailer reported ($0.51) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $193.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $246.88 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.48) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 28.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that 1-800-FLOWERS.COM will post 0.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. DA Davidson upped their price target 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 note on Saturday, November 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM

In other news, major shareholder Fund 1 Investments, Llc sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were 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 approximately $28,660,039.20. This represents a 1.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 51.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 1,585.9% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 376,131 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,576,000 after purchasing an additional 353,821 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 37.7% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 557,420 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $5,307,000 after acquiring an additional 152,536 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,635,093 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,086,000 after buying an additional 129,627 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in the 3rd quarter valued at about $947,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 50.3% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 340,637 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,701,000 after acquiring an additional 114,072 shares during the period. 38.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.