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 its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,263,594 shares of the company’s stock after selling 74,146 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 2.79% of Post worth $124,919,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of POST. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Post in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $113,660,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Post by 104.5% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 415,493 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,155,000 after acquiring an additional 212,325 shares during the last quarter. H Squared Management LP acquired a new position in Post during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $19,115,000. Duquesne Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Post during the third quarter worth $18,959,000. Finally, Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Post by 773.1% in the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 176,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,231,000 after purchasing an additional 156,184 shares in the last quarter. 94.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on POST. Barclays decreased their price target on Post from $119.00 to $106.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Post from $110.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Post from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Post from $119.00 to $116.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $117.00 price target on shares of Post in a report on Monday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Post has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $114.17.

Key Post News

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 Trading Up 3.4%

NYSE POST opened at $94.42 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.90 and a beta of 0.39. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $90.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $98.09. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. Post had a return on equity of 13.36% and a net margin of 4.01%.The company’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Post Holdings, Inc. will post 7.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gregory L. Curl sold 6,186 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 14.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Post Company 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.