Post (NYSE:POST) Stock Crosses Below 50 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST)’s share price crossed below its 50-day moving average during trading on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $78.39 and traded as low as $77.24. Post shares last traded at $78.7080, with a volume of 679,280 shares.

Trending Headlines about Post

Here are the key news stories impacting Post this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Post disclosed that its senior vice president and chief financial officer has assumed an interim accounting leadership role. The announcement indicates a temporary change in finance oversight but provided no details suggesting an immediate effect on operations or financial results. Post Holdings CFO Assumes Interim Accounting Leadership Role
• Negative Sentiment: The interim accounting assignment introduces some leadership-transition uncertainty and could draw investor attention to internal finance and reporting continuity. It is a potential risk, although the announcement did not identify an accounting issue or restatement.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on POST. Jefferies Financial Group set a $117.00 price objective on Post in a report on Monday, July 27th. Barclays reduced their target price on Post from $95.00 to $88.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Post from $116.00 to $99.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 10th. Zacks Research lowered Post from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Post from $86.00 to $79.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $103.43.

Post Trading Up 1.7%

The business has a 50 day moving average of $78.39 and a 200-day moving average of $89.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.47 and a beta of 0.39.

Post (NYSE:POST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.08. Post had a net margin of 3.48% and a return on equity of 13.22%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.02 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.03 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Post Holdings, Inc. will post 7.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Post

In related news, Chairman William P. Stiritz sold 277,935 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.23, for a total transaction of $23,410,465.05. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 14.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Post

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in POST. Engineers Gate Manager LP acquired a new position in Post during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,697,000. Redwood Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Post during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,176,000. Junto Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Post by 44.6% during the 2nd quarter. Junto Capital Management LP now owns 589,457 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,025,000 after acquiring an additional 181,849 shares in the last quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Post during the 1st quarter worth approximately $5,229,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of Post by 1,064.2% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 28,336 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,790,000 after purchasing an additional 25,902 shares during the last quarter. 94.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Post Company Profile

Post Holdings, Inc is a consumer packaged goods company that develops, manufactures and distributes branded and private-label food products. Its portfolio includes ready-to-eat cereals, granola, protein shakes and bars, pet food, eggs and egg products, refrigerated breakfast foods, side dishes, sausage, and other convenience foods.

The company operates through businesses including Post Consumer Brands, which markets cereal and pet food products; Weetabix, a United Kingdom-based cereal business with brands sold in the U.K.