Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Greif (NYSE:GEF) Stock

Greif (NYSE:GEF) had its target price boosted by equities research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $72.00 to $73.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 2.25% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Greif in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price target on Greif in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. 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 note on Tuesday, January 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.50.

Greif Stock Performance

Greif stock traded down $1.06 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $71.40. 2,795 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 181,954. Greif has a 1 year low of $48.23 and a 1 year high of $74.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.18. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $68.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.43.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.21). The company had revenue of $994.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 9.26% and a net margin of 7.52%.The firm’s revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.39 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Greif will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Greif news, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.54, for a total value of $143,080.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 58,678 shares in the company, valued at $4,197,824.12. This represents a 3.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 7,000 shares of Greif stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total value of $466,340.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 37,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,513,239.50. This trade represents a 15.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have acquired 32,293 shares of company stock valued at $2,145,733 and have sold 70,584 shares valued at $4,408,749. 7.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Greif

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GEF. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Greif by 84.9% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $455,000 after purchasing an additional 3,215 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its stake in Greif by 147.5% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 11,470 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $745,000 after buying an additional 6,835 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in shares of Greif by 3.7% in the second quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 97,872 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,361,000 after acquiring an additional 3,509 shares in the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in shares of Greif during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,240,000. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC boosted its position in Greif by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 115,667 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,517,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. 45.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.