Greif (NYSE:GEF) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.21 EPS

Greif (NYSE:GEF) announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The industrial products company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.21), Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $994.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. Greif had a net margin of 3.74% and a return on equity of 9.12%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.39 EPS.

Greif Stock Performance

Greif stock opened at $73.16 on Wednesday. Greif has a twelve month low of $48.23 and a twelve month high of $73.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The company has a market capitalization of $3.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.22, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.96. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $68.43 and its 200 day moving average is $64.37.

Greif Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Greif

In other news, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 7,000 shares of Greif stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total value of $466,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 37,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,513,239.50. The trade was a 15.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Gary R. Martz sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.48, for a total transaction of $302,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 28,100 shares in the company, valued at $1,699,488. This trade represents a 15.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have bought 32,293 shares of company stock valued at $2,145,733 and have sold 70,584 shares valued at $4,408,749. 7.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Greif during the second quarter valued at approximately $227,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in Greif during the 2nd quarter valued at $230,000. Zacks Investment Management bought a new stake in shares of Greif in the 3rd quarter worth $306,000. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Greif in the third quarter worth $322,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in shares of Greif by 23.6% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 6,065 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $362,000 after purchasing an additional 1,160 shares in the last quarter. 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.