Key Points
- CFO Lawrence Hilsheimer sold 20,254 Greif shares at an average price of $88.51, generating approximately $1.79 million and reducing his position by nearly 30%.
- Greif reported quarterly earnings of $1.61 per share, well above the $1.11 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 3.5% year over year to $1.17 billion. The company also increased its quarterly dividend to $0.62 per share, yielding about 2.8%.
- Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $83, despite targets ranging from $70 to $97; the stock recently traded near its 52-week high at $87.26.
Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 1,146 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.60, for a total transaction of $101,535.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,889,217.80. The trade was a 5.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.
Greif Stock Down 1.6%
Greif stock opened at $87.26 on Tuesday. Greif, Inc. has a 52 week low of $55.75 and a 52 week high of $90.57. The stock has a market cap of $4.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.35, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.75. The company's 50-day moving average price is $74.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $70.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.
Greif (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.50. Greif had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 8.09%. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.86 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Greif, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Greif Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 17th were given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This is a boost from Greif's previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 17th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Greif's payout ratio is 77.74%.
Institutional Trading of Greif
Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Greif by 106.0% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 616 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Greif by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 689 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Simplex Trading LLC raised its position in Greif by 399.5% during the fourth quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 1,853 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $125,000 after buying an additional 1,482 shares during the period. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new stake in Greif in the 1st quarter worth about $201,000. Finally, Man Group plc purchased a new stake in Greif in the 4th quarter worth about $201,000. 45.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GEF. Bank of America lowered Greif from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Greif from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Greif from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Greif from $74.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Truist Financial reissued a "hold" rating and set a $97.00 target price (up from $78.00) on shares of Greif in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $83.00.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Greif
Greif News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Greif this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Greif’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations: adjusted earnings per share were $1.61 versus the $1.11 consensus estimate, while revenue of $1.17 billion topped forecasts of $1.12 billion and increased 3.5% year over year.
- Positive Sentiment: The company increased its quarterly dividend to $0.62 per share from $0.56, implying an annualized payout of $2.48 and a yield of approximately 2.8%.
- Positive Sentiment: Some analysts raised their price targets after the earnings report. Wells Fargo lifted its target to $90, while Truist increased its target to $97, although both maintained neutral ratings.
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with one Buy, three Hold and one Sell rating and a consensus “Hold” recommendation. The average target price of $83 is below recent trading levels, suggesting limited near-term upside based on current estimates.
- Neutral Sentiment: Institutional investors own approximately 45.7% of Greif’s shares, with several funds adding to or initiating positions. These ownership changes provide limited immediate insight into operating performance.
- Negative Sentiment: CFO Lawrence Hilsheimer sold 20,254 shares for approximately $1.79 million, reducing his direct ownership by nearly 30%. He also reported a separate sale of 21,500 shares worth about $1.91 million, cutting his ownership by roughly 45% overall across the disclosed transactions. Greif CFO insider sale
- Negative Sentiment: Other executives also sold shares: SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares and EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 1,146 shares. Bergwall’s transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, which may reduce its significance as a discretionary bearish signal.
Greif Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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