William Blair Investment Management LLC Reduces Stake in Greif, Inc. $GEF

William Blair Investment Management LLC lowered its position in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 314,605 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 20,358 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Greif were worth $18,801,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Greif by 36.2% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 662 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Greif in the second quarter worth approximately $214,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Greif in the second quarter worth approximately $216,000. Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new stake in Greif during the second quarter valued at approximately $227,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in Greif during the second quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Institutional investors own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GEF has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Zacks Research raised Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price objective on Greif in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Greif from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $75.25.

Greif Trading Up 0.7%

GEF stock opened at $73.16 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Greif, Inc. has a 1-year low of $48.23 and a 1-year high of $77.14. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $72.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.77. The company has a market capitalization of $3.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.10, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.95.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last released 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). 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 analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.39 EPS. Greif’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is 82.96%.

Insider Activity

In other Greif news, SVP Kimberly Anne Kellermann sold 5,265 shares of Greif stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.99, for a total value of $379,027.35. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 5,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $418,117.92. The trade was a 47.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ole G. Rosgaard sold 9,733 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.24, for a total value of $683,645.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 64,707 shares in the company, valued at $4,545,019.68. This trade represents a 13.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 22,252 shares of company stock valued at $1,971,735 and have sold 70,944 shares valued at $5,095,812. 7.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.