Flowers Foods (FLO), one of our larger holdings, makes fresh bread, snack cakes and pastries under the Nature's Own, TastyKakes and Mrs. Freshley's brands, among others. It is the second largest fresh bread company in the US and the largest in the Southeast. Competitive advantages include a low-cost manufacturing footprint of modernized bakeries and the industry's most efficient delivery network. We believe that above industry average growth should continue as Flower expands its delivery network in the West, Northeast and Midwest. Growth, in our opinion, should be augmented by the recent purchase of several bakeries and brands at attractive prices from bankrupt rival Hostess Brands. The current dividend yield is 2.1% and we believe future dividend increases appear likely based on attractive earnings growth prospects, a payout of less than half of forward earnings and historical dividend per share growth at a 15% five year compound annual growth rate.
From Meridian Funds’ commentary on the quarter ended March 31, 2013.
From Meridian Funds’ commentary on the quarter ended March 31, 2013.
