Greif (NYSE:GEF) Sets New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $72.45 and last traded at $71.7140, with a volume of 20445 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $71.21.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GEF has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $72.00 target price (up from $68.00) on shares of Greif in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Greif in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $72.50.

Greif Trading Up 0.4%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.18. The company has a market capitalization of $3.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.96. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $65.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.12.

Greif Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 18th were issued a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 18th. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is 71.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Greif

In other news, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $65.49 per share, with a total value of $65,490.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 198,444 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,996,097.56. This trade represents a 0.51% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ole G. Rosgaard sold 9,733 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.24, for a total value of $683,645.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 64,707 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,545,019.68. This represents a 13.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders acquired 32,293 shares of company stock valued at $2,145,733 and sold 70,584 shares valued at $4,385,849. 7.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Greif

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GEF. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its stake in Greif by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 23,900 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,618,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Greif during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $84,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in Greif by 30.8% during the third quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 44,390 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,653,000 after purchasing an additional 10,444 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Greif by 285.0% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 43,600 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,606,000 after purchasing an additional 32,274 shares during the period. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its stake in Greif by 10.9% during the third quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 7,473 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $447,000 after acquiring an additional 737 shares in the last quarter. 45.74% of the stock is owned by 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.