Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

by · The Markets Daily

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEFGet Free Report) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the five ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $83.00.

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $97.00 price target (up from $78.00) on shares of Greif in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Greif from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Greif from $74.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Bank of America cut 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, July 14th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Greif

Greif Stock Performance

Shares of GEF opened at $87.88 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $4.06 billion, a PE ratio of 27.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $75.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.14. Greif has a 12-month low of $55.75 and a 12-month high of $90.57.

Greif (NYSE:GEFGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.50. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion for 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%. Greif’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.86 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Greif will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Greif Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 17th were issued a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 17th. This is an increase from Greif’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. Greif’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 77.74%.

Insider Activity

In other Greif news, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 1,146 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.60, for a total value of $101,535.60. Following the completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer sold 21,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total transaction of $1,906,190.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 25,825 shares in the company, valued at $2,289,644.50. The trade was a 45.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 97,987 shares of company stock worth $8,498,748. 7.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Greif

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in Greif by 106.0% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 616 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. 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 valued at $125,000 after buying an additional 1,482 shares during the period. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new stake in Greif during the first quarter valued at about $201,000. Finally, Man Group plc purchased a new stake in Greif during the fourth quarter valued at about $201,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Greif Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

Recommended Stories