Insider Selling: Greif (NYSE:GEF) Director Sells 3,000 Shares of Stock

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Director Mark Emkes sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.04, for a total value of $261,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 43,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,777,536. The trade was a 6.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Greif Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:GEF traded up $0.71 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $90.05. 119,019 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 230,138. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $72.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $70.44. Greif, Inc. has a one year low of $55.75 and a one year high of $90.27. The company has a market cap of $4.15 billion, a PE ratio of 34.50, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.75.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.50. Greif had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 8.09%. The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.86 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Greif, Inc. will post 4.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Greif Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 17th were issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from Greif’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 17th. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GEF has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Greif from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday. Truist Financial restated a “hold” rating and issued a $97.00 target price (up from $78.00) on shares of Greif in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Greif from $74.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research raised Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Bank of America downgraded Greif from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $83.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Greif

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew 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 valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its position in Greif by 33.3% in 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 period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Greif in the fourth quarter worth about $84,000. Simplex Trading LLC raised its position in Greif by 399.5% in 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 period. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new position in Greif in the first quarter valued at about $201,000. 45.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.