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

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

GEF has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Greif in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $72.00 target price (up previously from $68.00) on shares of Greif in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $72.50.

Greif Stock Up 1.3%

The firm has a market capitalization of $3.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.22, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.96. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $68.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.18.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.21). Greif had a net margin of 3.74% and a return on equity of 9.12%. The firm had revenue of $994.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 18th were issued a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 18th. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is presently 71.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Greif news, CEO Ole G. Rosgaard sold 9,733 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 64,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,545,019.68. This represents a 13.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction of $466,340.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 37,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,513,239.50. This represents a 15.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 32,293 shares of company stock worth $2,145,733 and have sold 70,584 shares worth $4,408,749. 7.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Greif

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GEF. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in Greif by 17.5% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 7,128 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $483,000 after purchasing an additional 1,063 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Greif by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 3,368 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 1,261 shares in the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its position in Greif by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 837,742 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $56,715,000 after acquiring an additional 79,813 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Greif during the 4th quarter valued at about $244,000. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its holdings in shares of Greif by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 23,900 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,618,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

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.