Greif (NYSE:GEF) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

Greif (NYSE:GEF) had its target price raised by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $73.00 to $76.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target indicates a potential upside of 1.76% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 target price on Greif in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $75.25.

Greif Price Performance

Shares of Greif stock opened at $74.69 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.66, a PEG ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $71.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.51. Greif has a 52 week low of $48.23 and a 52 week high of $77.14.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.21). Greif had a net margin of 7.52% and a return on equity of 8.46%. The business had revenue of $994.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.39 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Greif will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 2,731 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.67, for a total value of $209,385.77. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 34,076 shares in the company, valued at $2,612,606.92. This trade represents a 7.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer acquired 6,705 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $91.18 per share, with a total value of $611,361.90. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 207,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,912,190.88. This trade represents a 3.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders purchased 22,252 shares of company stock worth $1,971,735 and sold 70,944 shares worth $5,095,812. Company insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Greif by 75.5% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 524,603 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,352,000 after buying an additional 225,659 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Greif by 119.1% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 325,951 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,067,000 after acquiring an additional 177,203 shares during the last quarter. EVR Research LP bought a new position in Greif in the 4th quarter valued at $11,848,000. AXA S.A. purchased a new stake in Greif in the second quarter worth $9,052,000. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Greif during the second quarter worth $6,052,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

About Greif

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.