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

Key Points

• Post Holdings has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy”, based on nine firms covering the stock. The average 12-month price target is $124.50.
• The company’s latest earnings report showed EPS of $1.94, beating expectations, while revenue reached $2.04 billion, slightly below forecasts but still up 4.7% year over year.
• Insider and institutional activity was notable: director Gregory L. Curl sold shares in May, while hedge funds such as Norges Bank and Arrowstreet Capital significantly increased or initiated positions in Post.

Shares of Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $124.50.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Post from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Post from $127.00 to $119.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Post in a research report on Monday, April 13th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Post from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Post from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gregory L. Curl sold 6,186 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.05, for a total transaction of $649,839.30. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 15,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,586,990.35. This trade represents a 29.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 14.05% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Post

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of POST. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Post during the fourth quarter worth $113,660,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Post by 104.5% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 415,493 shares of the company's stock worth $41,155,000 after purchasing an additional 212,325 shares during the period. H Squared Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Post during the fourth quarter worth $19,115,000. Duquesne Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Post during the third quarter worth $18,959,000. Finally, Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Post by 773.1% during the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 176,386 shares of the company's stock worth $19,231,000 after purchasing an additional 156,184 shares during the period. 94.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Post News

Here are the key news stories impacting Post this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investors are still digesting Post’s most recent quarterly results, where the company beat EPS expectations and delivered 4.7% revenue growth year over year, showing that core business performance remains solid.
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent Seeking Alpha article argued that Post Holdings’ share buybacks could add value over time, but this is more of an investment thesis than a fresh operational catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Post Holdings has not announced any new major business updates in the provided articles, so the stock appears to be trading more on broader market sentiment and post-earnings digestion than on fresh company news.
• Negative Sentiment: The company’s latest revenue came in slightly below analyst expectations, which may still be pressuring the shares despite the EPS beat.

Post Stock Performance

Shares of Post stock opened at $97.11 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.35 and a beta of 0.43. The firm's 50 day moving average is $100.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.84. Post has a 52 week low of $94.13 and a 52 week high of $117.28.

Post (NYSE:POST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. Post had a net margin of 4.01% and a return on equity of 13.36%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.41 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Post will post 7.58 EPS for the current fiscal 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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