Matthew Leahy Sells 1,300 Shares of Greif (NYSE:GEF) Stock

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) SVP Matthew Leahy sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.82, for a total transaction of $95,966.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,739 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $202,192.98. This represents a 32.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Greif Stock Performance

Shares of GEF stock traded up $1.42 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $75.38. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 262,030 shares, compared to its average volume of 218,940. The stock has a market cap of $3.58 billion, a PE ratio of 27.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.96. Greif, Inc. has a 12-month low of $48.23 and a 12-month high of $75.99. The company has a 50 day moving average of $69.73 and a 200 day moving average of $64.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

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 return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 7.52%.The business had revenue of $994.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.39 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Greif Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 18th were issued a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 18th. Greif’s payout ratio is 82.96%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Greif

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GEF. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Greif by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,682 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $385,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Greif by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 21,494 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,397,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in Greif by 5.5% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $390,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the period. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its stake in Greif by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 31,906 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,074,000 after buying an additional 444 shares during the period. 45.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Greif

Here are the key news stories impacting Greif this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CFO Lawrence Hilsheimer bought roughly 18,322 shares across Feb. 3–4 (total purchase value ~\$1.63M), a strong insider buy that can be seen as management confidence in the business and supports the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan made small purchases (100 and 200 shares on Feb. 3–4), a modest insider buy that provides additional alignment with shareholders. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Many insiders executed both buys and sells on nearby dates (different prices and sizes). Paired activity can reflect option exercises, tax/timing needs or rebalancing rather than a pure operational signal — interpret cautiously. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Net insider selling is significant: CFO sold 22,778 shares (~\$1.64M), EVP Bala sold ~13,337 shares (~\$992k across multiple trades) and SVP Kimberly Kellermann sold 5,265 shares (~\$379k). Aggregate proceeds exceed buys, which can exert near‑term pressure on the stock. Read More. Read More. Read More.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 6th. 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 research note on Thursday, January 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 target price on shares of Greif in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.50.

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.