25 High Dividend Stocks Being Targeted By Short Sellers

12. Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO)

Short % of Float as of April 15: 8.04%

Dividend Yield as of April 28: 5.43%

Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) is a Georgia-based company that specializes in the production and marketing of bakery products. In its earnings report, the company noted that first-half results are expected to benefit from the continued momentum of new business wins, cost-saving efforts, pricing initiatives, and easing commodity costs. However, the outlook for the second half of the year factors in the fading of those earlier advantages, renewed pressure from commodity costs, and ongoing challenges within its product categories. Management also expressed enthusiasm about the pending acquisition of Simple Mills, which is anticipated to boost adjusted EBITDA in 2025 but temporarily weigh on adjusted EPS.

Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) is down by over 14% in 2025 so far and is one of the dividend stocks targeted by short sellers. In the fourth quarter of 2024, the company posted revenue of $1.11 billion, which showed a 1.6% decline from the same period last year. The revenue also missed the analysts’ estimates by $19.7 million. Its net income of $43.1 million grew by 20.9% on a YoY basis and represented nearly 4% of sales. Adjusted EBITDA rose by 6.3% to reach $102.4 million, accounting for 9.2% of net sales, which marked a 70-basis point improvement.

Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO)’s cash position came in strong. In FY24, the company reported an operating cash flow of $412.7 million, an increase of $63.3 million from the prior-year period. It also returned $203 million to shareholders through dividends in FY24. The company’s quarterly dividend comes in at $0.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.43%, as of April 28. In 2024, FLO achieved its 22nd consecutive year of dividend growth.