Geode Capital Management LLC Grows Position in Post Holdings, Inc. $POST

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 880,993 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,906 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 1.84% of Post worth $87,282,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of POST. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Post by 74.2% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 57,535 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,694,000 after acquiring an additional 24,514 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Post by 12.3% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 4,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $516,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in Post by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,287 shares of the company’s stock worth $382,000 after acquiring an additional 328 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Post by 181.1% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 11,771 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,370,000 after acquiring an additional 7,583 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Post by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 13,289 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,449,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.85% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 value of $649,839.30. Following the sale, the director directly owned 15,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,586,990.35. This trade represents a 29.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 14.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Post Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of POST opened at $90.64 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $99.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $100.86. The company has a market capitalization of $4.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.26 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Post Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $86.85 and a 1-year high of $117.28.

Post (NYSE:POST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.08 billion. Post had a net margin of 4.01% and a return on equity of 13.36%. Post’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.41 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Post Holdings, Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting Post

Here are the key news stories impacting Post this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Post Holdings reported quarterly EPS of $1.94, topping the $1.73 consensus estimate, and revenue rose 4.7% year over year, indicating the business is still growing. Post stock price and earnings data
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s revenue of $2.04 billion missed Wall Street’s $2.08 billion forecast, which tempers the otherwise strong earnings headline. Post stock price and earnings data
• Neutral Sentiment: POST is trading well below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, suggesting the stock is still working through a broader valuation reset despite the earnings beat. Post stock price and performance data

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on POST. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Post from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Post from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. 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. decreased their target price on shares of Post from $133.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Post in a report on Monday, April 13th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.50.

Post 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.