Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $73.50.

Several equities analysts recently commented on GEF shares. Zacks Research raised Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Greif from $76.00 to $70.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Greif from $79.00 to $78.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Greif from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th.

Greif Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE GEF opened at $74.09 on Friday. 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 cap of $3.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.39, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $66.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.84. Greif has a one year low of $55.75 and a one year high of $77.14.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.06). Greif had a net margin of 7.27% and a return on equity of 7.50%. The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.19 EPS. Greif’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Greif will post 3.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Greif Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 17th will be issued a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 17th. This is an increase from Greif’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.26, for a total transaction of $130,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 65,832 shares in the company, valued at $4,296,196.32. This represents a 2.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $406,680. 7.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Readystate Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Greif during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $871,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new stake in Greif in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,853,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Greif by 61.5% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 15,165 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after acquiring an additional 5,775 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Greif by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 90,939 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,099,000 after purchasing an additional 5,071 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Greif by 193.0% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 17,717 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,188,000 after purchasing an additional 11,670 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Greif Company Profile

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.