Post (NYSE:POST) Sets New 52-Week High Following Earnings Beat

Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $108.17 and last traded at $103.55, with a volume of 168838 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $104.90.

The company reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.22. Post had a net margin of 4.03% and a return on equity of 10.51%. The firm had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. Post's quarterly revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Mizuho raised their target price on Post from $110.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Post from $98.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Post from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $109.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Post

In other Post news, CEO Nicolas Catoggio sold 300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.11, for a total transaction of $31,233.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 74,992 shares in the company, valued at $7,807,417.12. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Post news, Director Thomas C. Erb acquired 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $104.24 per share, with a total value of $104,240.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 33,475 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,489,434. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Nicolas Catoggio sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.11, for a total transaction of $31,233.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 74,992 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,807,417.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 10.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Post

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in POST. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Post by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,396,881 shares of the company's stock valued at $291,249,000 after purchasing an additional 385,640 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Post by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,002,286 shares of the company's stock valued at $264,382,000 after purchasing an additional 249,155 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Post during the 4th quarter valued at about $19,598,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Post by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,634,146 shares of the company's stock valued at $140,112,000 after purchasing an additional 209,111 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its holdings in Post by 347.8% in the fourth quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 256,983 shares of the company's stock worth $22,630,000 after purchasing an additional 199,592 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.85% of the company's stock.

Post Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $6.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.03 and a beta of 0.65. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $104.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $95.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60.

About Post

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.