Greif (NYSE:GEF) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $77.14 and last traded at $76.14, with a volume of 9903 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $76.10.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on GEF shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Greif from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Greif from $79.00 to $78.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Bank of America lowered shares of Greif from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings raised Greif from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Greif currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $74.25.

Greif Stock Up 0.3%

The company has a market cap of $3.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.25, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.76. The business has a fifty day moving average of $68.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $69.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. Greif had a net margin of 7.27% and a return on equity of 7.50%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Greif, Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Greif Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 17th were paid a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 17th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. This is an increase from Greif’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is 95.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Greif news, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.14, for a total transaction of $146,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 63,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,668,672.48. This represents a 3.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $412,120. 7.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Greif

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its position in Greif by 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 689 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Greif by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,682 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $385,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Greif by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 21,494 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,397,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Greif by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 3,902 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position in shares of 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 worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.