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

Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST) shares gapped up prior to trading on Friday following a better than expected earnings announcement. 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 changing hands.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on POST. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Post from $123.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Post from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Post from $120.00 to $116.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Post currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Nicolas Catoggio sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.14, for a total transaction of $726,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 70,501 shares in the company, valued at $8,540,491.14. The trade was a 7.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Bradly A. Harper sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 11,220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,347,409.80. This represents a 8.18 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 35,969 shares of company stock valued at $4,322,051 over the last 90 days. 11.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Post

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Truist Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Post by 5.0% during the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 2,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $247,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Post by 2.6% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 26,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,715,000 after purchasing an additional 659 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Post during the second quarter valued at $510,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Post by 56.8% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Post by 53.7% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.85% of the company’s stock.

Post Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $111.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $112.77. The company has a market capitalization of $6.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.96 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

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.