Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Post (NYSE:POST) Stock

Post (NYSE:POST - Free Report) had its price objective boosted by Wells Fargo & Company from $122.00 to $124.00 in a research note released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

Separately, Piper Sandler upped their price target on Post from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock 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 given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Post presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $127.50.

Post Stock Down 3.4 %

NYSE:POST traded down $4.04 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $113.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 356,191 shares, compared to its average volume of 532,386. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.41 billion, a PE ratio of 18.69 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $112.28 and a 200-day moving average of $112.77. Post has a 1 year low of $99.62 and a 1 year high of $125.84.

Post (NYSE:POST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.24. Post had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 10.48%. Equities research analysts forecast that Post will post 6.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Post

In other Post news, SVP Bradly A. Harper sold 2,000 shares of Post stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.59, for a total transaction of $229,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,631.19. The trade was a 18.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David W. Kemper sold 8,939 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.75, for a total transaction of $989,994.25. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 29,722 shares in the company, valued at $3,291,711.50. The trade was a 23.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 36,096 shares of company stock worth $4,129,355. 11.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Post

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Post by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,140,299 shares of the company's stock valued at $588,359,000 after buying an additional 13,272 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Post by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,201,394 shares of the company's stock valued at $366,428,000 after acquiring an additional 70,850 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Post by 53.4% in the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,045,306 shares of the company's stock valued at $119,646,000 after acquiring an additional 364,006 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of Post by 403.1% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 986,975 shares of the company's stock worth $112,969,000 after purchasing an additional 790,782 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Post during the 4th quarter worth approximately $108,991,000. 94.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.