Post Holdings, Inc. POST is set to unveil its second-quarter fiscal 2026 results on May 7, after market close. Investors are eager to see if the company can beat market expectations.
Post Holdings, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Post Holdings, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Post Holdings, Inc. Quote
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $2.1 billion, implying 5.6% growth from the prior year.
Meanwhile, the consensus mark for earnings per share has been unchanged at $1.64 over the past seven days, suggesting 16.3% growth from the year-ago period. POST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 19.6%, on average.
Key Factors to Note for POST's Q2 Earnings
Post Holdings’ fiscal second-quarter 2026 performance is likely to have benefited from continued strength in its Foodservice segment, supported by resilient demand for value-added egg products and favorable customer trends. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Foodservice net sales is pegged at $633 million, indicating growth of 4.1% from the year-ago reported figure.
At its first-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings call, management highlighted that customer inventory reloads had largely been completed and indicated confidence in sustaining normalized growth trends in the future. Foodservice may have continued to benefit from its labor-saving value proposition, as operators shift toward value-added egg offerings to reduce labor needs.
Within Post Consumer Brands, the pet food business is likely to have witnessed some benefit from tested price points. Additionally, expanding private-label offerings in dinner sides, including mashed potatoes and macaroni & cheese, are expected to have supported volumes while improving capacity utilization across the network. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for net sales in the Post Consumer Brands segment is pegged at $1,059 million, indicating 7.2% growth from the year-ago reported figure.
POST may have had some operational benefit from productivity initiatives and cost-saving actions within its cereal operations, though management said the main benefits from cereal plant closures should flow through the profit-and-loss statement starting in the third quarter and fourth quarter of fiscal 2026.
However, some headwinds are likely to have persisted during the quarter. Management previously noted that Foodservice inventory-related benefits would normalize sequentially following the strong first quarter. In addition, cereal category trends are likely to have remained soft. The company is likely to have faced softer demand trends in dog food, which might have weighed on overall performance.
What the Zacks Model Says About POST’s Q2 Earnings
Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for POST this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. However, that’s not the case here.
POST has an Earnings ESP of -4.27% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Stocks With Favorable Combination
Here are three companies you may also want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this season:
Shake Shack, Inc. SHAK has an Earnings ESP of +19.41% and currently carries a Zacks Rank of 3. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 earnings per share is pegged at 11 cents, implying a 21.4% year-over-year decline. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $371.4 million, which indicates an increase of 15.8% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. SHAK has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 6.3%, on average.
Celsius Holdings, Inc. CELH currently has an Earnings ESP of +3.81% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings per share is pegged at 29 cents, implying a 61.1% year-over-year surge.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $755.2 million, which indicates an increase of 129.4% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. CELH has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 45.3%, on average.
Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. LW currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.87% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings per share is pegged at 61 cents, implying a 29.9% year-over-year decline.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $1.7 billion, which indicates growth of 1% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. LW has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 23.5%, on average.
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Post Holdings, Inc. (POST): Free Stock Analysis Report
Shake Shack, Inc. (SHAK): Free Stock Analysis Report
Lamb Weston (LW): Free Stock Analysis Report
Celsius Holdings Inc. (CELH): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).