LSV Asset Management Purchases 26,400 Shares of Post Holdings, Inc. $POST

Key Points

• LSV Asset Management increased its stake in Post Holdings by 145.5% in the fourth quarter, buying 26,400 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 44,550 shares worth about $4.4 million.
• Post Holdings reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings with EPS of $1.94 versus estimates of $1.73, though revenue of $2.04 billion came in slightly below expectations.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed but still constructive: analysts currently rate Post as a Moderate Buy on average, even as some firms recently downgraded the stock and JPMorgan trimmed its price target to $119.

LSV Asset Management boosted its position in Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST - Free Report) by 145.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 44,550 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 26,400 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management owned about 0.09% of Post worth $4,413,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Post by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,812,423 shares of the company's stock valued at $302,272,000 after acquiring an additional 110,928 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Post by 55.8% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 321,840 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,476,000 after acquiring an additional 115,223 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Post by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 310,946 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,420,000 after acquiring an additional 32,404 shares during the period. PYA Waltman Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Post by 63.1% during the 3rd quarter. PYA Waltman Capital LLC now owns 301,544 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,410,000 after acquiring an additional 116,669 shares during the period. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its position in shares of Post by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 232,682 shares of the company's stock valued at $23,047,000 after acquiring an additional 3,266 shares during the period. 94.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Post Price Performance

Post stock opened at $95.88 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.85. Post Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $94.13 and a 52 week high of $117.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.14 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $100.22 and a 200-day moving average of $101.65.

Post (NYSE:POST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.21. Post had a return on equity of 13.36% and a net margin of 4.01%.The company had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. Post's revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Post Holdings, Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Post

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on POST shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Post from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Zacks Research upgraded Post from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. BTIG Research started coverage on Post in a research report on Monday, April 13th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Post from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Post from $133.00 to $119.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Post has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $124.50.

Post News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Post this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Markets are focused on escalating U.S.-Iran tensions, with reports of fresh strikes and conflicting signals on peace talks. That kind of geopolitical uncertainty can weigh on consumer and defensive names like Post Holdings by increasing risk aversion. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Oil prices have been moving on the Iran headlines as traders watch for any disruption to shipping and energy supplies. Higher energy and input-cost expectations can be a modest headwind for packaged food companies if sustained. Article Title

About Post

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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