William Blair Investment Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in Greif, Inc. $GEF

William Blair Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) by 6.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 314,605 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 20,358 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned 0.66% of Greif worth $18,801,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Greif by 21.7% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 131,131 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,522,000 after purchasing an additional 23,422 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Greif in the 2nd quarter worth $537,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its position in Greif by 1.4% during the second quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 31,906 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,074,000 after purchasing an additional 444 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP purchased a new position in shares of Greif during the 2nd quarter valued at about $832,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of Greif by 5.5% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $390,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. 45.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GEF has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Greif from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price target on Greif in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research raised Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $75.25.

Greif Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE GEF opened at $73.16 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $72.23 and its 200 day moving average is $65.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.39 billion, a PE ratio of 27.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.95. 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 twelve month low of $48.23 and a twelve month high of $77.14.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last issued its quarterly 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). Greif had a net margin of 7.52% and a return on equity of 8.46%. The business had revenue of $994.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.39 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is 82.96%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Gaylord Benner sold 2,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.58, for a total transaction of $211,624.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 7,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $541,379.54. This trade represents a 28.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Matthew B. Leahy sold 1,300 shares of Greif stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.82, for a total value of $95,966.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 2,739 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $202,192.98. The trade was a 32.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 22,252 shares of company stock valued at $1,971,735 and have sold 70,944 shares valued at $5,095,812. Corporate insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.

Greif 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.