Post Holdings, Inc. $POST Shares Acquired by Junto Capital Management LP

Key Points

• Junto Capital Management increased its Post Holdings stake by 44.6% in the second quarter, purchasing 181,849 additional shares for a total of 589,457 shares valued at approximately $52 million.
• Post beat quarterly earnings expectations with adjusted EPS of $1.78 versus $1.70 expected, but revenue fell short at $1.95 billion and declined 1.8% year over year amid continued cereal-category pressure.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with the stock carrying a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $109; shares recently traded at $81.07 after a 1.6% decline.

Junto Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST - Free Report) by 44.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 589,457 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 181,849 shares during the period. Junto Capital Management LP owned 1.30% of Post worth $52,025,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of POST. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Post in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in Post by 119.5% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 248 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Post by 62.8% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 267 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Post during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Post in the second quarter worth about $64,000. 94.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Post News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Post this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Post’s premium cereal brands are gaining share, while assortment changes are helping the company narrow the performance gap with the broader cereal category. Post Holdings' Premium Cereal Gains Share Amid Category Pressure
• Neutral Sentiment: In its latest reported quarter, Post exceeded earnings expectations with adjusted EPS of $1.78 versus the $1.70 consensus, but revenue of $1.95 billion fell short of estimates of $2.02 billion.
• Negative Sentiment: The cereal category remains challenging, and Post’s overall quarterly revenue declined 1.8% year over year. The revenue miss and weaker sales trend may be offsetting the earnings beat in investor sentiment.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on POST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Post from $116.00 to $99.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Post from $98.00 to $86.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Post from a "hold (c)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $117.00 target price on shares of Post in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Post from $106.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $109.00.

Insider Activity at Post

In related news, Chairman William P. Stiritz sold 277,935 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.23, for a total value of $23,410,465.05. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 14.05% of the company's stock.

Post Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of POST opened at $81.07 on Thursday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $85.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $93.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.90 and a beta of 0.37. Post Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.40 and a 1-year high of $117.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.47.

Post (NYSE:POST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.02 billion. Post had a net margin of 3.48% and a return on equity of 13.22%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.03 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Post Holdings, Inc. will post 7.56 earnings per share for the current year.

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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