Post (NYSE:POST) Shares Gap Up Following Earnings Beat

Shares of Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST) gapped up before the market opened on Friday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $105.86, but opened at $110.20. Post shares last traded at $112.13, with a volume of 247,248 shares.

The company reported $1.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.24. Post had a return on equity of 10.49% and a net margin of 4.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on POST shares. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Post from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Post from $123.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Post from $120.00 to $116.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.83.

Insider Transactions at Post

In other Post news, CEO Nicolas Catoggio sold 6,000 shares of Post stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.14, for a total transaction of $726,840.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 70,501 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,540,491.14. The trade was a 7.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Bradly A. Harper sold 1,000 shares of Post stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.09, for a total value of $120,090.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,220 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,347,409.80. This trade represents a 8.18 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 35,969 shares of company stock valued at $4,322,051 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 11.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Post

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of POST. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Post by 54.7% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,827 shares of the company’s stock valued at $552,000 after purchasing an additional 1,706 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Post by 133.7% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 12,538 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,435,000 after buying an additional 7,172 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in shares of Post by 1,109,800.0% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 11,099 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,270,000 after buying an additional 11,098 shares in the last quarter. Inceptionr LLC acquired a new position in Post in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,710,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Post during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,751,000. 94.85% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Post Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.96 and a beta of 0.65. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $111.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $112.77.

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.