Post (NYSE:POST) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Shares of Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST) reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $85.96 and last traded at $85.8210, with a volume of 281970 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $88.77.

Key Headlines Impacting Post

Here are the key news stories impacting Post this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Post Holdings as a strong growth stock, which may draw attention from growth-oriented investors and support the shares. Here’s Why Post Holdings (POST) is a Strong Growth Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: No new earnings release, guidance update, acquisition, or margin commentary was reported in the articles provided, so there is limited fresh fundamental news for POST today.
• Negative Sentiment: POST remains well below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, suggesting the stock is still under pressure from broader technical weakness even after the latest positive research mention.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on POST. Weiss Ratings cut Post from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Post from $110.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Post from $133.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Post in a research report on Monday, April 13th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Post from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Post currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $117.00.

Post Stock Down 3.1%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.90 billion, a PE ratio of 14.48 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $94.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $99.32.

Post (NYSE:POST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.21. The company 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 revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Post Holdings, Inc. will post 7.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gregory L. Curl sold 6,186 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.05, for a total value of $649,839.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 15,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,586,990.35. The trade was a 29.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 14.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Post

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Daytona Street Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Post in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,989,000. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Post by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 177,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,028,000 after acquiring an additional 20,099 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Post in the third quarter valued at about $5,686,000. M&T Bank Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Post in the fourth quarter valued at about $6,867,000. Finally, LSV Asset Management increased its stake in shares of Post by 145.5% during the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 44,550 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,413,000 after acquiring an additional 26,400 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.85% of the company’s stock.

About Post

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.