The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Has $124.92 Million Holdings in Post Holdings, Inc. $POST

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company decreased its position in shares of Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST) by 5.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,263,594 shares of the company’s stock after selling 74,146 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Post were worth $124,919,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Post by 74.2% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 57,535 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,694,000 after purchasing an additional 24,514 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Post by 12.3% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 4,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $516,000 after buying an additional 487 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in shares of Post by 11.1% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,287 shares of the company’s stock valued at $382,000 after buying an additional 328 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Post by 181.1% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 11,771 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,370,000 after buying an additional 7,583 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Post by 3.9% during the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 13,289 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,449,000 after buying an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. 94.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Post news, Director Gregory L. Curl sold 6,186 shares of Post stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.05, for a total transaction of $649,839.30. Following the transaction, the director owned 15,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,586,990.35. This trade represents a 29.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 14.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $128.00 target price on shares of Post in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. BTIG Research assumed coverage on Post in a research note on Monday, April 13th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Barclays decreased their price objective on Post from $119.00 to $106.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $117.00 price objective on Post in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Post from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $114.17.

Post News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Post this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: The articles mentioning “posts” primarily concern unrelated companies, including Ford, Methanex, Bloom Energy and various international firms—not Post Holdings. They are therefore unlikely to be direct catalysts for POST.
• Positive Sentiment: The most recent company-specific fundamental backdrop remains favorable: Post Holdings’ latest reported quarter produced adjusted earnings of $1.94 per share, above the $1.73 consensus estimate, while revenue increased 4.7% year over year. The earnings beat may be supporting investor sentiment.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue was below analyst expectations, and the stock remains below its 200-day moving average. Post Holdings’ elevated debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38 could also limit enthusiasm if investors focus on leverage and valuation.

Post Stock Performance

Shares of POST stock opened at $94.42 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $90.62 and a 200-day moving average of $98.09. The company has a market cap of $4.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.90 and a beta of 0.39. 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 Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $83.89 and a one year high of $117.28.

Post (NYSE:POST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Post Holdings, Inc. will post 7.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Post Profile

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.