Lawrence Hilsheimer Sells 20,254 Shares of Greif (NYSE:GEF) Stock

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) CFO Lawrence Hilsheimer sold 20,254 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.51, for a total value of $1,792,681.54. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 47,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,188,735.75. This trade represents a 29.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Greif Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GEF traded down $1.42 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $87.26. The stock had a trading volume of 235,754 shares, compared to its average volume of 231,518. Greif, Inc. has a 1 year low of $55.75 and a 1 year high of $90.57. The company has a market capitalization of $4.03 billion, a PE ratio of 27.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.75. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $74.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

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

Greif Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Greif

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Greif by 75.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 524,603 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,352,000 after acquiring an additional 225,659 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Greif by 119.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 325,951 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,067,000 after purchasing an additional 177,203 shares during the last quarter. EVR Research LP acquired a new stake in shares of Greif in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $11,848,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Greif during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,052,000. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its position in shares of Greif by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 837,742 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $56,715,000 after purchasing an additional 79,813 shares during the last quarter. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GEF has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen raised Greif from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Bank of America cut Greif from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $97.00 target price (up from $78.00) on shares of Greif in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Greif from $74.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $83.00.

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.