EMC Capital Management Lowers Holdings in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF)

EMC Capital Management reduced its position in shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) by 84.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,686 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 14,435 shares during the quarter. EMC Capital Management’s holdings in Greif were worth $164,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of Greif by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 784,004 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $49,126,000 after buying an additional 30,192 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Greif by 9.3% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 524,637 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,874,000 after acquiring an additional 44,473 shares during the period. Systematic Financial Management LP grew its holdings in Greif by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 302,552 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $18,958,000 after acquiring an additional 40,494 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in Greif during the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,012,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Greif by 450.3% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 56,430 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,243,000 after purchasing an additional 46,176 shares in the last quarter. 45.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Greif Stock Performance

Shares of GEF stock opened at $62.26 on Friday. Greif, Inc. has a 12-month low of $55.95 and a 12-month high of $73.16. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $63.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $63.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a market cap of $2.94 billion, a PE ratio of 13.77, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.95.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.23). The business had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.41 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 11.84% and a net margin of 4.81%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.56 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Greif, Inc. will post 4.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.54 dividend. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Greif’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.79%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Greif news, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 748 shares of Greif stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.21, for a total transaction of $45,037.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 32,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,970,613.09. The trade was a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer acquired 550 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $67.88 per share, for a total transaction of $37,334.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 162,151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,006,809.88. This trade represents a 0.34 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have purchased 6,225 shares of company stock valued at $431,731. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GEF has been the subject of several research reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Greif from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Greif from $79.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Sidoti assumed coverage on Greif in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on Greif from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $79.33.

Greif Profile

Greif, Inc engages in the production and sale of industrial packaging products and services worldwide. The company operates through Global Industrial Packaging; Paper Packaging & Services; and Land Management segments. The Global Industrial Packaging segment produces and sells industrial packaging products, including steel, fiber, and plastic drums; rigid and flexible intermediate bulk containers; closure systems for industrial packaging products; transit protection products; water bottles, and remanufactured and reconditioned industrial containers; and various services, such as container life cycle management, filling, logistics, warehousing, and other packaging services to chemicals, paints and pigments, food and beverage, petroleum, industrial coatings, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, mineral product, and other industries.