Greif (NYSE:GEF) Hits New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $73.56 and last traded at $73.1550, with a volume of 166100 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $72.20.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price target on shares of Greif in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Greif in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.50.

Greif Stock Down 3.3%

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $68.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.23. The company has a market cap of $3.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.83, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.96.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.21). Greif had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 7.52%.The company had revenue of $994.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 18th were paid a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 18th. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is 85.82%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer acquired 1,000 shares of Greif stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $65.49 per share, with a total value of $65,490.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 198,444 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,996,097.56. The trade was a 0.51% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction of $466,340.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 37,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,513,239.50. This represents a 15.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, 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. Company insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Greif

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Greif by 36.2% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 662 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in Greif by 5.5% in the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $390,000 after buying an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its holdings in shares of Greif by 1.4% in 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 buying an additional 444 shares during the period. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its position in shares of Greif by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 23,900 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,618,000 after acquiring an additional 464 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.