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

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLWS) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in 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. Currently, 21.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 372,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 15.3 days.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM Price Performance

Shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM stock opened at $7.77 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $7.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $8.24. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM has a 12-month low of $6.56 and a 12-month high of $11.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

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 the consensus estimate 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%. Analysts expect that 1-800-FLOWERS.COM will post 0.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on FLWS shares. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $7.50 price target on shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in a research report on Saturday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th.

Insider Activity

In other 1-800-FLOWERS.COM news, major shareholder Fund 1 Investments, Llc bought 61,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $7.33 per share, for a total transaction of $447,130.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 4,285,364 shares in the company, valued at $31,411,718.12. This represents a 1.44 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders purchased 803,405 shares of company stock valued at $6,292,721. Corporate insiders own 51.00% of the company’s stock.

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

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM during the third quarter valued at about $41,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM during the third quarter valued at $106,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in 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 worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 1,623 shares in the last quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co purchased a new position in shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in the third quarter worth $121,000. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its stake in shares of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 35,215 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $288,000 after acquiring an additional 4,015 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 38.43% of the company’s stock.

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.