Optas LLC Makes New Investment in Post Holdings, Inc. $POST

Optas LLC bought a new position in shares of Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 2,550 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $278,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in POST. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its position in Post by 232.1% during the 1st 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 grew its holdings in shares of Post by 167.2% in the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 358 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Post in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $52,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Post by 200.0% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 477 shares of the company's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 318 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in shares of Post by 131.1% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 550 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.85% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Post news, Director William P. Stiritz acquired 36,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $109.53 per share, for a total transaction of $3,943,080.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 4,334,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at $474,776,076.51. This trade represents a 0.84% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 11.40% of the company's stock.

Post Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:POST opened at $106.03 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $107.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $109.79. The stock has a market cap of $5.76 billion, a PE ratio of 18.03 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a current ratio of 2.60. Post Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $101.05 and a one year high of $125.84.

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

Post announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Friday, August 29th that allows the company to buyback $0.00 in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Post 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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