Greif (NYSE:GEF) Hits New 12-Month High Following Insider Buying Activity

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday following insider buying activity. The company traded as high as $76.00 and last traded at $74.5870, with a volume of 19753 shares. The stock had previously closed at $75.15.

Specifically, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan purchased 1,819 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $87.22 per share, for a total transaction of $158,653.18. Following the purchase, the executive vice president owned 8,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $745,643.78. The trade was a 27.03% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan acquired 1,811 shares of Greif stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $88.10 per share, for a total transaction of $159,549.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president owned 6,730 shares in the company, valued at approximately $592,913. The trade was a 36.82% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In other news, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer purchased 11,617 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $87.42 per share, with a total value of $1,015,558.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 207,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,112,200.12. The trade was a 5.94% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GEF has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 target price on Greif in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Greif from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research raised Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.50.

Greif Stock Down 0.6%

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.51 billion, a PE ratio of 28.09, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.21). The business had revenue of $994.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 7.52%.Greif’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.39 EPS. Analysts forecast that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 18th were paid a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 18th. Greif’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.96%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in Greif by 6.5% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 895,344 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,506,000 after acquiring an additional 54,256 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Greif during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,061,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Greif by 21.7% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 131,131 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,522,000 after purchasing an additional 23,422 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Greif during the third quarter valued at $1,220,000. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. bought a new position in shares of Greif in the second quarter worth about $690,000. Hedge funds and other 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.