Greif (NYSE:GEF) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Hold Rating

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Greif (NYSE:GEF) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Greif’s Q3 2026 earnings at $1.08 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.20 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.86 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.42 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.25 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $4.48 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $0.54 EPS and Q2 2028 earnings at $1.19 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on GEF. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price objective on Greif in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Greif from $79.00 to $78.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Greif from $76.00 to $70.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Greif presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.50.

Greif Stock Up 0.3%

GEF stock opened at $64.32 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $2.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.64, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.82. 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 has a 12 month low of $54.03 and a 12 month high of $77.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $66.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.98.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last released 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). Greif had a net margin of 7.27% and a return on equity of 7.50%. The business had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.19 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Greif will post 3.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. Greif’s payout ratio is currently 85.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.66, for a total transaction of $135,320.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 67,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,589,513.12. The trade was a 2.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 6,000 shares of company stock worth $411,140 over the last quarter. 7.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Greif

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GEF. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in Greif by 106.0% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 616 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in Greif by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 689 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Greif during the fourth quarter worth approximately $84,000. Simplex Trading LLC boosted its position in Greif by 399.5% during the fourth quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 1,853 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $125,000 after acquiring an additional 1,482 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc acquired a new stake in Greif during the fourth quarter worth approximately $201,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Key Greif News

Here are the key news stories impacting Greif this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2027 earnings estimate for Greif to $4.48 per share from $4.15, and also lifted its Q2 2028, Q4 2027, and Q3 2027 estimates, which may support sentiment around longer-term earnings potential.
• Neutral Sentiment: The firm slightly increased its Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $1.20 from $1.19, a small adjustment that does not meaningfully change the near-term outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut its FY2026 EPS estimate to $3.86 from $4.14 and lowered its Q3 2026 forecast to $1.08 from $1.35, pointing to some pressure in the near-term earnings picture.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the estimate changes, Zacks Research maintains a Strong Sell rating on Greif, which could continue to weigh on investor confidence.

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.