Greif (NYSE:GEF) CFO Lawrence Hilsheimer Acquires 6,705 Shares of Stock

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) CFO Lawrence Hilsheimer purchased 6,705 shares of Greif stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $91.18 per share, for a total transaction of $611,361.90. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 207,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,912,190.88. This trade represents a 3.34% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Greif Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of Greif stock opened at $74.23 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $69.73 and a 200 day moving average of $64.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.44, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.96. Greif, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $48.23 and a fifty-two week high of $75.86.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last posted its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $994.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. Greif had a net margin of 7.52% and a return on equity of 8.46%. Greif’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.39 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 18th were given a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 18th. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is presently 82.96%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Greif

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Greif by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,682 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $385,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in Greif by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 899,137 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $60,872,000 after buying an additional 3,793 shares in the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lifted its holdings in Greif by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 23,586 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,597,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its position in shares of Greif by 91.5% during the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 18,839 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 9,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Greif in the 4th quarter valued at about $409,000. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on GEF. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price target on Greif in a research note 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Greif from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.50.

Greif News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Greif this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CFO Lawrence Hilsheimer bought a total of 18,322 shares across Feb. 3–4 (11,617 at ~$87.42 and 6,705 at ~$91.18), a roughly $1.63M purchase that signals confidence in the business from the finance chief. CFO Form 4 (purchases)
• Positive Sentiment: EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan made small purchases (100 and 200 shares on Feb. 3–4), a minor insider buy that is a modest positive sign. EVP Form 4 (purchases)
• Neutral Sentiment: Some transactions appear paired (same insiders both buying and selling on nearby dates and at very different prices). That pattern can reflect exercises, tax planning or portfolio rebalancing rather than a pure signal about company prospects, so interpret mixed buys/sells cautiously. Relevant filings for these combined moves are below. CFO combined Form 4 EVP combined Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Net insider selling: CFO sold 22,778 shares (Feb. 3) for ~$1.64M, EVP Bala sold 13,337 shares across Feb. 3–5 (~$992k total), and SVP Kimberly Kellermann sold 5,265 shares (~$379k). Collectively insiders sold far more shares (and realized net proceeds) than they bought, a negative signal that likely pressures the stock. CFO sale Form 4 EVP sale Form 4 SVP Form 4

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.