Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Post Holdings an average Moderate Buy rating (5 buys, 4 holds) with a 12‑month consensus target of $124.50; several firms (JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Barclays) have trimmed targets recently while Zacks and Weiss issued upgrades.
• Post beat quarterly EPS expectations ($2.13 vs. $1.66) while revenue was essentially in line at $2.17B (+10.2% YoY), and analysts forecast roughly $7.24 in EPS for the current fiscal year.
• Shares trade around $103.75 with a market cap of about $4.96B and a P/E near 19, but relatively high leverage (debt/equity ~2.15), recent insider selling, and the stock sitting near its 50/200‑day moving averages pose downside risk in risk‑off markets.

Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $124.50.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Post from $133.00 to $119.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Post from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Post from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Post from $127.00 to $119.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Post from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th.

Post Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Post stock opened at $103.75 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.18 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $101.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $102.39. Post has a 12-month low of $94.13 and a 12-month high of $117.28.

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

Post News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Post this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Broad U.S. indices rallied on tech strength and signs of Iran diplomacy, supporting risk assets — a tailwind for stocks generally. S&P 500 and Nasdaq Post Record Highs on Tech Stock Strength and Iran Diplomacy
• Positive Sentiment: Justice Department dropped its inquiry into Fed Chair Jerome Powell — removes a degree of political uncertainty around Fed leadership and could reduce macro risk for markets. Justice Department drops inquiry into Fed Chair Jerome Powell
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and value write-ups are circulating that raise visibility on POST as potentially undervalued, which can attract longer-term buyers even if near-term flows favor growth. Is Post Holdings (POST) Stock Undervalued Right Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Direct Iran diplomacy updates (envoys heading to talks) reduced immediate geopolitical risk; this helped broader markets but benefits cyclical and tech more than consumer staples. Live Updates: Witkoff, Kushner to head to new Iran peace talks in Pakistan, White House says - CBS News
• Negative Sentiment: No fresh Post-specific news or new positive catalysts in the feed today — absence of company news often leads to underperformance versus sectors that are in favor.
• Negative Sentiment: Sector rotation: markets are in a "risk-on" phase led by tech and cyclical names; consumer-packaged-goods names like POST can lag on short-term flows as investors chase growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Technical and liquidity signals: POST is trading near its 50/200-day moving averages with volume a bit below average and relatively high leverage (debt/equity ~2.15), factors that can amplify down moves when investors reduce exposure.

Insider Activity

In other Post 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 21,293 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,434,002.83. This trade represents a 24.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 14.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Post

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Post in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Post by 119.5% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 248 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in Post by 62.8% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 267 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Highlander Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in Post in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC increased its position in Post by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 375 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.85% of the company's stock.

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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