Bala Sathyanarayanan Sells 10,838 Shares of Greif (NYSE:GEF) Stock

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 10,838 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.90, for a total transaction of $811,766.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 36,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,756,844.30. The trade was a 22.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Bala Sathyanarayanan also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, February 3rd, Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 2,499 shares of Greif stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.29, for a total value of $180,652.71.
• On Tuesday, February 3rd, Bala Sathyanarayanan acquired 100 shares of Greif stock. The stock was bought at an average price of $87.69 per share, with a total value of $8,769.00.
• On Wednesday, February 4th, Bala Sathyanarayanan acquired 200 shares of Greif stock. The shares were bought at an average price of $89.22 per share, for a total transaction of $17,844.00.
• On Wednesday, December 10th, Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 7,000 shares of Greif stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction of $466,340.00.

Greif Price Performance

GEF stock traded down $1.63 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $73.81. 206,780 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 211,044. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The company has a market cap of $3.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.34, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 0.96. Greif, Inc. has a one year low of $48.23 and a one year high of $75.86.

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 company had revenue of $994.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 period in the prior year, the company posted $0.39 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 18th were given a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 18th. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Greif’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on GEF shares. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Greif in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Greif from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Greif in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Greif

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Greif by 36.2% in 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 during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Greif in the fourth quarter worth $84,000. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System purchased a new position in Greif in the 2nd quarter valued at about $214,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC bought a new position in Greif during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $216,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of Greif during the second quarter worth about $227,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

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.