Clarkston Capital Partners LLC Sells 1,675,300 Shares of Post Holdings, Inc. $POST

Key Points

• Clarkston Capital Partners cut its Post Holdings stake by 58.4% in the first quarter, selling 1,675,300 shares and leaving it with 1,193,067 shares valued at about $117.9 million. Post remains the fund’s largest position, making up about 9% of its holdings.
• Several analysts have turned more cautious on POST, including downgrades from Wall Street Zen and Weiss Ratings, while Barclays lowered its price target to $106. The stock still carries a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target of $113.60.
• Post Holdings reported quarterly EPS of $1.94, topping estimates, though revenue of $2.04 billion slightly missed expectations. The stock recently traded near $89.93, below its 200-day moving average and well under its 52-week high.

Clarkston Capital Partners LLC cut its stake in shares of Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST - Free Report) by 58.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,193,067 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,675,300 shares during the period. Post makes up about 9.0% of Clarkston Capital Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its biggest position. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC owned 2.63% of Post worth $117,947,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of POST. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Post in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Post by 119.5% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 248 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Post by 62.8% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 267 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Post in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Highlander Partners L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Post in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.85% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gregory L. Curl sold 6,186 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.05, for a total transaction of $649,839.30. Following the transaction, the director owned 15,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,586,990.35. This represents a 29.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 14.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

POST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Post from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Post from $119.00 to $106.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings lowered Post from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. BTIG Research began coverage on Post in a research note on Monday, April 13th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Finally, Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $128.00 target price on shares of Post in a report on Thursday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Post currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $113.60.

Post Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of Post stock opened at $89.93 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $91.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $98.19. Post Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $83.89 and a 52-week high of $117.28. The firm has a market cap of $4.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.14 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

Post (NYSE:POST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. Post had a net margin of 4.01% and a return on equity of 13.36%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Post Holdings, Inc. will post 7.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

More Post News

Here are the key news stories impacting Post this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan Chase reportedly issued a pessimistic forecast for Post Holdings, which can weigh on investor sentiment by reinforcing concerns about upside in the shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Post NYSE: POST Stock Price
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent Zacks analysis said Post is rebuilding its pet food portfolio for growth, highlighting pricing changes and the Nutrish relaunch to support volumes and category performance. This points to a longer-term turnaround effort rather than an immediate catalyst. How Is Post Holdings Rebuilding Its Pet Food Portfolio for Growth?

Post Profile

Post Holdings, Inc is a consumer packaged goods company that operates as a holding company for a diverse portfolio of food and beverage brands. The company's principal activities include the production, marketing and distribution of ready-to-eat cereal, refrigerated and frozen foods, and nutritional beverages. Through its operating segments—Post Consumer Brands, Foodservice, Refrigerated Side Dishes & Bakery, and Active Nutrition—Post Holdings delivers a broad array of products to retail grocers, convenience stores, foodservice operators and e-commerce channels.

The Post Consumer Brands segment features a variety of hot and cold cereals under names such as Honey Bunches of Oats, Shredded Wheat and Pebbles.

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