Wall Street Zen Upgrades Post (NYSE:POST) to Buy

Post (NYSE:POST) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on POST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Post from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Post from $122.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Post from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Post from $115.00 to $108.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Evercore reduced their target price on shares of Post from $131.00 to $129.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Post has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $125.33.

Post Price Performance

NYSE:POST opened at $114.62 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $99.63 and a 200 day moving average of $104.18. Post has a 52-week low of $95.07 and a 52-week high of $119.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.19 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.67.

Post (NYSE:POST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. Post had a return on equity of 12.05% and a net margin of 3.82%.Post’s revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.73 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Post will post 6.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Post news, SVP Bradly A. Harper sold 1,658 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.69, for a total value of $160,312.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 11,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,106,230.29. This represents a 12.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David W. Kemper purchased 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $97.93 per share, with a total value of $176,274.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 31,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,086,949.46. This represents a 6.06% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 14.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Post

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of POST. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Post by 53.9% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 91,474 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,973,000 after buying an additional 32,048 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its stake in Post by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 158,701 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,057,000 after buying an additional 6,861 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Post by 26.6% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 63,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,850,000 after purchasing an additional 13,354 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Post by 6.3% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 3,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $433,000 after buying an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in Post by 276.8% during the 2nd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 11,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,214,000 after acquiring an additional 8,183 shares in the last quarter. 94.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Post

Here are the key news stories impacting Post this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat and raised guidance — Post reported adjusted EPS above consensus ($2.13 vs. $1.66 consensus), revenue grew ~10% year-over-year, and management raised FY2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance to $1.55–$1.58 billion, which supports upside to valuation and drove buying interest. Post Holdings Reports Results for the First Quarter of Fiscal Year 2026; Raises Fiscal Year 2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Leadership change at Post Consumer Brands — The company named Greg Pearson as President & CEO of Post Consumer Brands (effective April 1). Market reaction suggests investors view this as a stabilizing commercial/brand leadership move for a core segment. Greg Pearson to Join Post Consumer Brands as President and Chief Executive Officer
• Neutral Sentiment: Top-line vs. some street estimates mixed — while revenue rose ~10%, it was marginally below certain estimates ($2.17B vs. ~$2.18B). That moderates the beat narrative and keeps focus on margin and segment trends in upcoming calls. Post Holdings Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Sales Grow About 10% Y/Y
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst backdrop supportive but varied — recent analyst coverage is mostly positive (several Outperform/Overweight ratings) and median price targets sit near current levels, leaving room for incremental upgrades if execution continues. Post Holdings (POST) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings: Revenue Growth but EPS Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Cash flow and liquidity signals to watch — some third‑party data flagged a sharp decline in cash and operating cash flow year-over-year; investors will watch free cash flow and working capital as acquisitions and integration drive results. Post Holdings (POST) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings: Revenue Growth but EPS Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Leverage and margins remain elevated/thin — Post carries meaningful leverage (debt-to-equity around ~2.0) and reported modest net margins; any slip in volumes or integration costs could pressure results and sentiment. Listen to Conference Call

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.