Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires 18,339 Shares of Greif, Inc. $GEF

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) by 30.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 78,173 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,339 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.16% of Greif worth $4,672,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in Greif by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 895,344 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,506,000 after acquiring an additional 54,256 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Greif in the second quarter valued at about $1,061,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Greif by 21.7% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 131,131 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,522,000 after purchasing an additional 23,422 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in Greif during the third quarter worth about $1,220,000. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. purchased a new position in Greif during the second quarter worth about $690,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Greif Stock Performance

Shares of GEF opened at $76.95 on Monday. Greif, Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.23 and a 1 year high of $77.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $70.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $65.10. The firm has a market cap of $3.56 billion, a PE ratio of 28.50, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 0.96.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.21). The firm had revenue of $994.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. Greif had a net margin of 7.52% and a return on equity of 8.46%. The company’s revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.39 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Greif Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 18th were issued a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 18th. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Greif’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 82.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on GEF. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Greif from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price objective on Greif in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Greif news, SVP Gaylord Benner sold 2,800 shares of Greif stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.58, for a total transaction of $211,624.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 7,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $541,379.54. The trade was a 28.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer sold 22,778 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.83, for a total value of $1,636,143.74. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders bought 24,252 shares of company stock worth $2,102,715 and sold 68,213 shares worth $4,886,426. 7.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Greif Profile

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.