Falling Petals: The 1-800-Flowers Story

Once a pandemic favorite, now a case study in what happens when growth slows and leverage lingers.

Trading Lessons
October 22, 2025

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Confidence Check:

How confident are you in the U.S. economy heading into 2026?

1-800-Flowers (FLWS) isn’t exactly blooming this year.
The e-commerce florist’s stock has dropped over 40% in 2025, trading under $5 per share — back in penny-stock territory.

The setup? Heavy short interest, weak financials, and rising competition.

TRUTH: When momentum dies and cash runs thin, valuation stops being a floor — it becomes gravity.

What the Chart Shows

1-800-Flowers’ stock is still struggling. The price hasn’t been able to rise above the key long-term trend line (the 200-day moving average), which usually separates healthy markets from weak ones.

Even when the stock briefly bounces, those gains don’t last — meaning big investors aren’t buying yet. Until the price can consistently stay above that long-term line, the stock is likely to stay in a downward trend.

Short Interest’s Shadow

More than 50% of public shares are now sold short — meaning half the float’s betting against the company.

Technically, it’s ugly: FLWS has stayed below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages since late last year.

Crowded Field, Shrinking Margins

What used to be a niche — flowers and gifts online — is now a battlefield.

Amazon, Walmart, and Costco have muscled into the space, while boutique competitors like Teleflora, ProFlowers, and UrbanStems keep grabbing share.

With inflation pressuring discretionary spending, “luxury” gifting is taking a back seat.

Balance Sheet Blues

Here’s the real thorn:

Net loss (FY25): –$200M (–$0.82/share)
Projected EPS: –$0.62 (FY26), –$0.18 (FY27)
Free cash flow: –$68M (TTM)
Cash on hand: <$50M
Long-term debt: >$130M

That’s a tight squeeze. Without fresh liquidity, covering short-term obligations could mean asset sales or new financing.

Leadership Shift, Uncertain Path

Management turnover suggests internal restructuring, but execution risk remains high.
For now, optimism around a “short squeeze” feels premature — the trend still leans down.

Lesson of the Day

Momentum cuts both ways.
When a company’s growth engine stalls, technical rebounds can look tempting — but price alone doesn’t tell the whole story.

Patience and perspective do.

Lessons Learned

Every trader’s faced a chart that looked “too cheap to ignore.”
Sometimes it’s a rebound. Sometimes it’s a warning.

The 1-800-Flowers story is a reminder that price alone doesn’t equal value — and that patience often outperforms prediction.

Please share your story: What’s the moment that taught you not to confuse a low price with a good opportunity?

Drop it in the comments here.

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