Greif (NYSE:GEF) CFO Sells $1,636,143.74 in Stock

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) CFO Lawrence Hilsheimer sold 22,778 shares of Greif stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.83, for a total transaction of $1,636,143.74. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Greif Trading Down 2.2%

NYSE GEF traded down $1.63 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $73.81. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 206,780 shares, compared to its average volume of 211,044. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $69.55 and a 200 day moving average of $64.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.47, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 0.96. Greif, Inc. has a twelve month low of $48.23 and a twelve month high of $75.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.39 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities 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. Investors of record on Thursday, December 18th were paid a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 18th. Greif’s payout ratio is 82.96%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Greif

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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