Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $74.50.

GEF has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Greif from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Zacks Research raised Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price objective on Greif in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th.

Greif Stock Up 0.9%

GEF opened at $76.95 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $70.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $65.09. Greif has a fifty-two week low of $48.23 and a fifty-two week high of $77.14.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.21). The business had revenue of $994.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 7.52%.Greif’s revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.39 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Greif will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 18th were issued a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 18th. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Greif’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Greif news, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 10,838 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.90, for a total value of $811,766.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 36,807 shares in the company, valued at $2,756,844.30. This represents a 22.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Kimberly Anne Kellermann sold 5,265 shares of Greif stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.99, for a total transaction of $379,027.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 5,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $418,117.92. The trade was a 47.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 24,252 shares of company stock worth $2,102,715 and have sold 77,213 shares worth $5,432,906. Company insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Greif

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GEF. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Greif by 36.2% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 662 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Greif in the fourth quarter valued at about $84,000. Simplex Trading LLC raised its holdings in Greif by 399.5% during the fourth quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 1,853 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $125,000 after acquiring an additional 1,482 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System bought a new stake in Greif during the second quarter worth about $214,000. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC acquired a new position in Greif during the second quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Institutional investors own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Greif Company Profile

Greif, Inc is a global leader in industrial packaging products and services, with a history dating back to its founding in 1877. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the company has evolved from a regional barrel and drum manufacturer into a diversified packaging provider serving a wide range of end markets. Greif’s longstanding heritage in container solutions has positioned it as a trusted partner for customers seeking reliable, high-quality packaging options.

The company’s core business revolves around the design, manufacture and sale of industrial packaging products, including steel, plastic and fiber drums; intermediate bulk containers (IBCs); safety closures; rigid, flexible and reconditioned packaging; containerboard and protective packaging.