Greif (NYSE:GEF) EVP Sells 1,146 Shares of Stock

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 1,146 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.60, for a total transaction of $101,535.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,889,217.80. This represents a 5.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Greif Stock Performance

NYSE:GEF traded down $1.02 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $87.66. The company had a trading volume of 102,204 shares, compared to its average volume of 230,598. The firm has a market cap of $4.04 billion, a PE ratio of 27.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.75. Greif, Inc. has a 1-year low of $55.75 and a 1-year high of $90.57. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $74.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.50. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.12 billion. Greif had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 8.09%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.86 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Greif, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

Greif Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 17th were paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 17th. 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. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.74%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Greif

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted 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 worth $47,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in Greif by 4.3% during the 4th 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 period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in 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 last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its stake in shares of Greif by 8.4% during the first quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 3,902 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $264,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in shares of Greif by 106.0% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 616 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GEF. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Greif from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Zacks Research raised shares of Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Greif from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Bank of America cut Greif from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $97.00 price target (up from $78.00) on shares of Greif in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $83.00.

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.