Insider Buying: Greif (NYSE:GEF) EVP Purchases $158,653.18 in Stock

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan acquired 1,819 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $87.22 per share, for a total transaction of $158,653.18. Following the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 8,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $745,643.78. This represents a 27.03% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Bala Sathyanarayanan also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, February 5th, Bala Sathyanarayanan purchased 1,811 shares of Greif stock. The stock was purchased at an average price of $88.10 per share, with a total value of $159,549.10.
• On Thursday, February 5th, Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 10,838 shares of Greif stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.90, for a total value of $811,766.20.
• On Tuesday, February 3rd, Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 2,499 shares of Greif stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.29, for a total transaction of $180,652.71.
• On Tuesday, February 3rd, Bala Sathyanarayanan bought 100 shares of Greif stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of $87.69 per share, with a total value of $8,769.00.
• On Wednesday, February 4th, Bala Sathyanarayanan bought 200 shares of Greif stock. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $89.22 per share, for a total transaction of $17,844.00.
• On Wednesday, December 10th, Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 7,000 shares of Greif stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction of $466,340.00.

Greif Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GEF opened at $76.95 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $48.23 and a fifty-two week high of $77.14. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.09. The company has a market cap of $3.56 billion, a PE ratio of 28.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.96.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 7.52%.The business’s revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.39 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Greif Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 18th were paid a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 18th. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is presently 82.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Institutional Trading of Greif

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Greif by 36.2% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 662 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Greif in the fourth quarter worth approximately $84,000. Simplex Trading LLC boosted its stake in Greif by 399.5% during the 4th quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 1,853 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $125,000 after purchasing an additional 1,482 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Greif during the 4th quarter valued at $221,000. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Greif in the 2nd quarter worth $216,000. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.