Greif (NYSE:GEF) Sets New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Greif Stock Up 0.1%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $68.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.38.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.06). Greif had a net margin of 7.27% and a return on equity of 7.50%. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Greif, Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Greif Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 17th were issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. This is a positive change from Greif’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 17th. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Greif

In other news, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.14, for a total value of $146,280.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 63,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,668,672.48. This trade represents a 3.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $412,120 over the last 90 days. 7.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Greif

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GEF. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its position in shares of Greif by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 689 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Greif by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,682 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $385,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Greif by 1.3% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 21,494 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,397,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLC boosted its stake in Greif by 8.4% in the first quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 3,902 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $264,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in Greif by 106.0% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 616 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.