Short Interest in Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST) Increases By 23.3%

Key Points

• Post Holdings, Inc. experienced a 23.3% increase in short interest in August, with a total of 3,810,000 shares sold short, reflecting 8.0% of its total shares.
• The company recently reported quarterly earnings of $2.03 per share, surpassing analyst expectations and showing a 1.9% revenue increase year-over-year.
• Post's Board of Directors approved a stock buyback plan, indicating confidence that its shares are currently undervalued.

Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 3,810,000 shares, a growth of 23.3% from the August 15th total of 3,090,000 shares. Currently, 8.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 701,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.4 days. Based on an average daily volume of 701,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.4 days. Currently, 8.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on POST. Zacks Research downgraded Post from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Post from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Post from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Post from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Post from $120.00 to $117.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $131.20.

Post Stock Down 1.1%

POST traded down $1.15 during trading on Monday, hitting $102.60. 834,842 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 652,036. Post has a fifty-two week low of $101.05 and a fifty-two week high of $125.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83. The stock has a market cap of $5.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.45 and a beta of 0.51. The business's 50 day moving average is $107.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $110.30.

Post (NYSE:POST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.95 billion. Post had a net margin of 4.62% and a return on equity of 10.80%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.54 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Post will post 6.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Post declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Friday, August 29th that permits the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William P. Stiritz acquired 36,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $109.53 per share, with a total value of $3,943,080.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 4,334,667 shares in the company, valued at $474,776,076.51. This represents a 0.84% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 11.40% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Post

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of Post by 79.3% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 21,227 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,318,000 after acquiring an additional 9,391 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of Post by 6.0% during the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 21,409 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,334,000 after buying an additional 1,207 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC lifted its position in shares of Post by 3.0% during the second quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 5,740 shares of the company's stock worth $607,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming lifted its position in shares of Post by 25.1% during the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 2,228 shares of the company's stock worth $243,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hohimer Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Post by 7.9% during the 2nd quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,098 shares of the company's stock worth $556,000 after buying an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.85% of the company's stock.

Post Company Profile

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.