Wells Fargo & Company Cuts Post (NYSE:POST) Price Target to $79.00

Post (NYSE:POST) had its price objective decreased by Wells Fargo & Company from $86.00 to $79.00 in a report issued on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on POST. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Post from $106.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Zacks Research cut shares of Post from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Post from $116.00 to $99.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 10th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $117.00 price target on shares of Post in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Post in a report on Friday, August 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $108.00.

Post Stock Performance

NYSE POST opened at $72.52 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.47. Post has a twelve month low of $71.45 and a twelve month high of $117.28. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $80.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $89.96. The firm has a market cap of $3.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.33 and a beta of 0.39.

Post (NYSE:POST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.08. Post had a return on equity of 13.22% and a net margin of 3.48%.The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.03 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Post will post 7.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Post

In related news, Chairman William P. Stiritz sold 277,935 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.23, for a total value of $23,410,465.05. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 14.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Post

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of POST. Engineers Gate Manager LP bought a new position in shares of Post during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,697,000. Moran Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Post during the 1st quarter valued at $5,229,000. Junto Capital Management LP lifted its position in Post by 44.6% in the second quarter. Junto Capital Management LP now owns 589,457 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,025,000 after buying an additional 181,849 shares during the last quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Post in the second quarter worth $2,176,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in Post by 1,064.2% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 28,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,790,000 after buying an additional 25,902 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.85% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Post

Here are the key news stories impacting Post this week:

• Positive Sentiment: No new negative operational, regulatory, or financing event involving Post Holdings appears in the supplied news. The company’s latest reported quarter also showed adjusted earnings of $1.78 per share, ahead of the $1.70 consensus estimate.
• Neutral Sentiment: The recent headlines primarily concern unrelated companies and macro topics, including Samsung Electronics, Richelieu Hardware, mining companies, and market conditions. They are unlikely to provide a direct catalyst for POST.
• Negative Sentiment: Post Holdings’ latest results were mixed: quarterly revenue of $1.95 billion missed the $2.02 billion consensus and declined 1.8% year over year, while earnings fell from $2.03 per share in the prior-year quarter. This may be weighing on investor sentiment.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock is trading below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and close to its 12-month low, signaling continued technical weakness. With a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.47, leverage may also make investors more cautious if consumer demand or margins deteriorate.

About Post

Post Holdings, Inc is a consumer packaged goods company that develops, manufactures and distributes branded and private-label food products. Its portfolio includes ready-to-eat cereals, granola, protein shakes and bars, pet food, eggs and egg products, refrigerated breakfast foods, side dishes, sausage, and other convenience foods.

The company operates through businesses including Post Consumer Brands, which markets cereal and pet food products; Weetabix, a United Kingdom-based cereal business with brands sold in the U.K.