Hennessy Advisors Inc. Has $53.93 Million Stake in Post Holdings, Inc. $POST

Key Points

• Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Post Holdings, Inc. by 9.3% during Q2, holding 494,600 shares worth approximately $53.93 million, making it their 7th largest investment.
• Insider transactions included Director William P. Stiritz purchasing 36,000 shares for about $3.94 million, increasing his stake to 4.33 million shares valued at ~$474.78 million.
• Post Holdings recently beat earnings estimates with $2.03 per share in Q2, surpassing the consensus estimate of $1.67, while quarterly revenue rose by 1.9% year-over-year to $1.98 billion.

Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST - Free Report) by 9.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 494,600 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 42,100 shares during the quarter. Post comprises approximately 1.8% of Hennessy Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Hennessy Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.89% of Post worth $53,926,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in Post by 232.1% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 279 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the period. Millstone Evans Group LLC increased its stake in Post by 167.2% in the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 358 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in Post by 200.0% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 477 shares of the company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Post in the second quarter worth $52,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Post by 131.1% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 550 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.85% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Post

In related news, Director William P. Stiritz bought 36,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were bought at an average price of $109.53 per share, for a total transaction of $3,943,080.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 4,334,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $474,776,076.51. This trade represents a 0.84% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 11.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Post Price Performance

POST opened at $107.31 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average is $107.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $109.93. Post Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $101.05 and a 1 year high of $125.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 1.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.83 billion, a PE ratio of 18.25 and a beta of 0.49.

Post (NYSE:POST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.36. Post had a return on equity of 10.80% and a net margin of 4.62%.The company had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.54 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Post Holdings, Inc. will post 6.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Post declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Friday, August 29th that authorizes the company to repurchase $0.00 in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Post from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Post from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Post in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Zacks Research lowered Post from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Post from $117.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $130.80.

Post Company Profile

Post Holdings, Inc operates as a consumer packaged goods holding company in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: Post Consumer Brands, Weetabix, Foodservice, and Refrigerated Retail. The Post Consumer Brands segment manufactures, markets, and sells branded and private label ready-to-eat (RTE) cereals under Honey Bunches of Oats, Pebbles, and Malt-O-Meal brand names; hot cereal; peanut butter under the Peter Pan brand; and branded and private label dog and cat food products under Rachael Ray Nutrish, Nature's Recipe, 9Lives, Kibbles 'n Bits and Gravy Train brand names.

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