Matthew Leahy Sells 1,300 Shares of Greif (NYSE:GEF) Stock

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) SVP Matthew Leahy sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.82, for a total transaction of $95,966.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 2,739 shares in the company, valued at $202,192.98. This trade represents a 32.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Greif Stock Performance

GEF stock opened at $75.38 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $69.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.76. Greif, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $48.23 and a fifty-two week high of $75.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.58 billion, a PE ratio of 27.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.96.

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

Greif Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 18th were issued a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 18th. Greif’s payout ratio is currently 82.96%.

Greif News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Greif this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CFO Lawrence Hilsheimer bought roughly 18,322 shares across Feb. 3–4 (total purchase value ~\$1.63M), a strong insider buy that can be seen as management confidence in the business and supports the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan made small purchases (100 and 200 shares on Feb. 3–4), a modest insider buy that provides additional alignment with shareholders. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Many insiders executed both buys and sells on nearby dates (different prices and sizes). Paired activity can reflect option exercises, tax/timing needs or rebalancing rather than a pure operational signal — interpret cautiously. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Net insider selling is significant: CFO sold 22,778 shares (~\$1.64M), EVP Bala sold ~13,337 shares (~\$992k across multiple trades) and SVP Kimberly Kellermann sold 5,265 shares (~\$379k). Aggregate proceeds exceed buys, which can exert near‑term pressure on the stock. Read More. Read More. Read More.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Greif

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of GEF. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Greif by 36.2% during 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 in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Greif during the fourth quarter worth $84,000. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System bought a new position in Greif during the 2nd quarter worth about $214,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Greif during the second quarter worth about $216,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of Greif during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $227,000. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GEF. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price target on shares of Greif in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research raised Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Wall Street Zen raised Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Greif from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.50.

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.