Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the five ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $75.25.

GEF has been the topic of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 target price on shares of Greif in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Greif from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th.

Greif Trading Down 3.2%

Shares of GEF stock opened at $67.43 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $72.29 and a 200 day moving average of $65.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Greif has a 1-year low of $48.23 and a 1-year high of $77.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.12 billion, a PE ratio of 24.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.95.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $994.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 7.52%.Greif’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.39 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Greif will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is presently 82.96%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.11, for a total transaction of $148,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 73,832 shares in the company, valued at $5,471,689.52. This represents a 2.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,612,606.92. The trade was a 7.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have bought 22,252 shares of company stock worth $1,971,735 and have sold 61,944 shares worth $4,499,512. Corporate insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GEF. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Greif by 36.2% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 662 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in Greif by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,682 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $385,000 after buying an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Greif by 1.3% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 21,494 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,397,000 after buying an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in Greif by 5.5% in the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $390,000 after buying an additional 314 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in Greif by 106.0% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 616 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. 45.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.