Post (NYSE:POST) Share Price Passes Below Fifty Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST)’s stock price crossed below its fifty day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $100.36 and traded as low as $94.32. Post shares last traded at $97.1120, with a volume of 757,302 shares traded.

Key Stories Impacting Post

Here are the key news stories impacting Post this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investors are still digesting Post’s most recent quarterly results, where the company beat EPS expectations and delivered 4.7% revenue growth year over year, showing that core business performance remains solid.
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent Seeking Alpha article argued that Post Holdings’ share buybacks could add value over time, but this is more of an investment thesis than a fresh operational catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Post Holdings has not announced any new major business updates in the provided articles, so the stock appears to be trading more on broader market sentiment and post-earnings digestion than on fresh company news.
• Negative Sentiment: The company’s latest revenue came in slightly below analyst expectations, which may still be pressuring the shares despite the EPS beat.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

POST has been the subject of several research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Post from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Post from $127.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Post in a research report on Monday, April 13th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Post from $133.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Post from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $124.50.

Post Trading Down 0.4%

The company has a market capitalization of $4.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.35 and a beta of 0.43. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $100.36 and its 200-day moving average is $101.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.21. Post had a net margin of 4.01% and a return on equity of 13.36%. The company had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. Post’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Post Holdings, Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Post

In related news, Director Gregory L. Curl sold 6,186 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were 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 $1,586,990.35. This represents a 29.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 14.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Post

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in POST. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Post by 62.8% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 267 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Post during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Post by 119.5% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Post during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Highlander Partners L.P. bought a new position in shares of Post during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors 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.