Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST) Short Interest Up 19.2% in January

Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,420,000 shares, an increase of 19.2% from the January 15th total of 2,030,000 shares. Approximately 4.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 629,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.8 days.

Post Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE:POST traded down $1.54 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $111.45. 462,122 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 486,873. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $110.97 and its 200-day moving average is $112.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.36 and a beta of 0.65. Post has a 12-month low of $99.62 and a 12-month high of $125.84.

Post (NYSE:POST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.24. Post had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 10.40%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Post will post 6.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Post

In related news, COO Jeff A. Zadoks sold 28,969 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.96, for a total transaction of $3,475,121.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 67,788 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,131,848.48. This trade represents a 29.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nicolas Catoggio sold 6,000 shares of Post stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.14, for a total value of $726,840.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 70,501 shares in the company, valued at $8,540,491.14. This trade represents a 7.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 44,908 shares of company stock worth $5,312,045. 11.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Post during the third quarter worth $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in Post by 426.0% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Post in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Post by 244.9% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 338 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Post during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Institutional investors own 94.85% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on POST. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Post from $123.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Post from $116.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Post from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Post currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.17.

About Post

Post Holdings, Inc operates as a consumer packaged goods holding company in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: Post Consumer Brands, Weetabix, Foodservice, and Refrigerated Retail. The Post Consumer Brands segment manufactures, markets, and sells branded and private label ready-to-eat (RTE) cereals under Honey Bunches of Oats, Pebbles, and Malt-O-Meal brand names; hot cereal; peanut butter under the Peter Pan brand; and branded and private label dog and cat food products under Rachael Ray Nutrish, Nature's Recipe, 9Lives, Kibbles 'n Bits and Gravy Train brand names.