Flowers Foods, Inc. FLO is working to broaden its growth profile beyond traditional bakery categories, and snacks emerged as a notable bright spot in the first quarter of 2026. The business continued to benefit from rising demand for better-for-you and functional food offerings, with momentum driven by both Simple Mills and Dave’s Killer Bread.
Simple Mills remained a key growth contributor during the quarter. Retail sales grew 9%, supported by broad-based strength across the portfolio. The brand’s cookies business grew 43%, while crackers advanced 3%, with both categories outperforming their respective categories. Distribution expansion and improved product velocity across food and mass channels helped fuel the gains.
Product innovation also added to the momentum. Recent launches performed at or above expectations, providing further support for the brand’s growth trajectory. The strong reception highlights the appeal of the Simple Mills portfolio as consumers increasingly seek products with better-for-you attributes.
Dave’s Killer Bread added to the positive trend. Its organic snack bars delivered year-over-year growth in both units and dollar sales while maintaining market share in the nutritional snack bar subcategory. The brand’s Amped-Up Protein Bars also continued to resonate with consumers looking for higher-protein options and functional benefits.
The first quarter reinforced snacks as one of FLO’s more dynamic growth areas. Strong performances from Simple Mills and Dave’s Killer Bread, supported by innovation, distribution gains and favorable consumer demand trends, indicate that the snack platform is becoming an increasingly important part of Flowers Foods’ portfolio mix.
FLO Stock Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates
Shares of Flowers Foods have tumbled 12.4% over the past three months compared with the industry’s decline of 0.4%. FLO currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
FLO Price Performance Versus Industry
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, FLO trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 8.48, lower than the industry’s average of 14.12.
FLO Valuation Compared to Industry
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FLO’s current fiscal-year earnings per share suggests a 22.7% year-over-year decline, while the consensus mark for the next fiscal-year EPS indicates 4.6% growth.
Better-Ranked Stocks to Consider
The Chef's Warehouse, Inc. CHEF, a specialty food distributor serving restaurants, hotels and hospitality customers, sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for The Chef's Warehouse’s current financial-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 8.3% and 24.7%, respectively, from the prior-year reported levels. CHEF delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 28.9%, on average.
Vita Coco Company COCO is a leading beverage company best known for its Vita Coco brand, with a portfolio that also includes hydration, energy and protein-based beverages. COCO sports a Zacks Rank #1.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Vita Coco’s current financial-year sales and earnings calls for year-over-year growth of 21.4% and 47.9%, respectively. COCO delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 11.7%, on average.
The Coca-Cola Company KO, a global beverage giant, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). KO delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 4.5%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Coca-Cola’s current fiscal-year sales and earnings suggests a year-over-year increase of almost 3% and 8.7%, respectively.
Radical New Technology Could Hand Investors Huge Gains
Quantum Computing is the next technological revolution, and it could be even more advanced than AI.
While some believed the technology was years away, it is already present and moving fast. Large hyperscalers, such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, and even Meta and Tesla, are scrambling to integrate quantum computing into their infrastructure.
Senior Stock Strategist Kevin Cook reveals 7 carefully selected stocks poised to dominate the quantum computing landscape in his report, Beyond AI: The Quantum Leap in Computing Power .
Kevin was among the early experts who recognized NVIDIA's enormous potential back in 2016. Now, he has keyed in on what could be "the next big thing" in quantum computing supremacy. Today, you have a rare chance to position your portfolio at the forefront of this opportunity.
See Top Quantum Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
CocaCola Company (The) (KO): Free Stock Analysis Report
Vita Coco Company, Inc. (COCO): Free Stock Analysis Report
Flowers Foods, Inc. (FLO): Free Stock Analysis Report
The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. (CHEF): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).