Mark Emkes Sells 3,000 Shares of Greif (NYSE:GEF) Stock

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Director Mark Emkes sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.04, for a total transaction of $261,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 43,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,777,536. This trade represents a 6.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Greif Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE GEF opened at $89.19 on Friday. Greif, Inc. has a 12-month low of $55.75 and a 12-month high of $90.57. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $73.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $70.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.11 billion, a PE ratio of 27.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 8.09% and a net margin of 7.53%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.86 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Greif, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Greif Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 17th were issued a $0.62 dividend. This is a boost from Greif’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 17th. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is presently 77.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on GEF shares. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and set a $97.00 price target (up from $78.00) on shares of Greif in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Greif from $74.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Greif from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday. Bank of America downgraded shares of Greif from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $83.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Greif

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GEF. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its holdings in shares of Greif by 10.8% during the second quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 27,528 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,051,000 after acquiring an additional 2,694 shares in the last quarter. Readystate Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in Greif in the 1st quarter worth approximately $871,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new stake in Greif during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,853,000. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in Greif by 61.5% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 15,165 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after purchasing an additional 5,775 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Greif by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 90,939 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,099,000 after purchasing an additional 5,071 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.