Vanguard Group Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Post Holdings, Inc. $POST

Key Points

• Vanguard trimmed its stake in Post by 1.9% in Q4 but remains a major holder with 5,172,519 shares (~10.02% ownership) valued at about $512.3 million.
• Post beat estimates in the latest quarter—EPS $2.13 vs. $1.66 expected—with revenue up ~10.2% year-over-year and analysts modeling roughly $7.24 in FY EPS.
• A company director sold 6,983 shares (a 24.7% cut to their holding), and investors should note Post’s elevated leverage (debt-to-equity ~2.15) despite high institutional ownership (~94.85%).

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its position in Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST - Free Report) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,172,519 shares of the company's stock after selling 97,842 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 10.02% of Post worth $512,338,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in POST. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Post during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in Post by 119.5% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 248 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC raised its position in Post by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 375 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Post by 332.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 432 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Post during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.85% of the company's stock.

Post Price Performance

NYSE:POST opened at $103.83 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $101.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $102.28. Post Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.13 and a 12 month high of $117.28. The firm has a market cap of $4.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.19 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15.

Post (NYSE:POST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $2.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.18 billion. Post had a net margin of 3.82% and a return on equity of 12.37%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.73 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Post Holdings, Inc. will post 7.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Post

In other news, Director Gregory L. Curl sold 6,983 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.31, for a total value of $798,226.73. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,293 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,434,002.83. This trade represents a 24.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 14.05% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Post

Here are the key news stories impacting Post this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Post’s recent fundamentals remain supportive: Q2 (Feb) results showed an EPS beat ($2.13 vs. $1.66) and revenue growth (~+10% YoY), and analysts still model solid FY earnings (~7.24 EPS). That beat gives the stock an earnings-driven cushion versus peers.
• Neutral Sentiment: No fresh corporate news in the feed — investors are likely reacting to macro/sector moves rather than new Post-specific catalysts.
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/positioning context: POST trades near its 50- and 200-day moving averages (around $101–$102) with a low beta (0.43), suggesting the stock can be relatively insulated from broad market swings but may also see muted moves absent company news.
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical risk in the Strait of Hormuz could raise energy and shipping costs, squeezing margins for consumer-packaged-goods companies that rely on freight and commodity inputs. See coverage on naval tensions. Iran fires on U.S. ships in Strait of Hormuz
• Negative Sentiment: Energy-sector developments and capex plans that change fuel/transport availability or prices can indirectly pressure CPG margins and distribution costs; recent pipeline/expansion news is a relevant cross-market input. TC Energy Posts Strong Q1 and Greenlights $1.5B U.S. Gas Expansion
• Negative Sentiment: Balance sheet and interest-rate sensitivity remain watchpoints: POST’s debt-to-equity (~2.15) is elevated, so rising rates or weaker cash flow could pressure credit metrics and investor sentiment.

Analyst Ratings Changes

POST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Post from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Post from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Post from $133.00 to $119.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Barclays cut their price target on Post from $127.00 to $119.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on Post in a research note on Monday, April 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $124.50.

Post Company 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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