Greif, Inc. $GEF Shares Purchased by Wesbanco Bank Inc.

Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its stake in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) by 91.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,839 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,000 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc.’s holdings in Greif were worth $1,275,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Greif by 1.3% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 21,494 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,397,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC raised its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its holdings in Greif by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,854 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $261,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its holdings in Greif by 5.9% in the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 10,767 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $643,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of Greif by 7.1% during the third quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 10,294 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $615,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the period. 45.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GEF. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Greif from $76.00 to $70.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. Zacks Research cut shares of Greif from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Truist Financial dropped their target price 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, Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 target price on shares of Greif in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $73.50.

Greif Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:GEF opened at $68.09 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $67.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.28. Greif, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.03 and a 1-year high of $77.14.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 7.50% and a net margin of 7.27%.The firm’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.19 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Greif, Inc. will post 3.94 EPS for the current year.

Greif Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were given a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is currently 85.82%.

Insider Transactions at Greif

In related news, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 2,731 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.67, for a total value of $209,385.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 34,076 shares in the company, valued at $2,612,606.92. This represents a 7.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.42, for a total transaction of $140,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 69,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,917,569.44. This represents a 2.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 8,731 shares of company stock valued at $633,426 in the last quarter. 7.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.