Park Avenue Securities LLC Boosts Holdings in Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST)

Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST) by 6.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,172 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Post were worth $656,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in POST. Nordea Investment Management AB bought a new position in shares of Post during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,698,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Post in the fourth quarter valued at $2,634,000. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Post in the 4th quarter worth about $840,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new position in shares of Post during the 4th quarter worth about $1,022,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Post by 347.8% during the 4th quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 256,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,630,000 after purchasing an additional 199,592 shares during the period. 94.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Post news, Director Gregory L. Curl sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.06, for a total transaction of $424,240.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 21,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,246,456.86. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Post news, Director Robert E. Grote sold 16,845 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.58, for a total value of $1,761,650.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at $460,152. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gregory L. Curl sold 4,000 shares of Post stock in a transaction on Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.06, for a total transaction of $424,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,181 shares in the company, valued at $2,246,456.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 22,345 shares of company stock worth $2,344,320. Corporate insiders own 10.70% of the company’s stock.

Post Price Performance

Shares of POST stock opened at $103.82 on Friday. Post Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $78.85 and a twelve month high of $108.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $104.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $100.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.89 and a beta of 0.63.

Post (NYSE:POST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.03 billion. Post had a net margin of 4.38% and a return on equity of 10.93%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Post Holdings, Inc. will post 5.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Post from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Post from $118.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Post from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $113.67.

Post 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.