Bala Sathyanarayanan Buys 200 Shares of Greif (NYSE:GEF) Stock

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan purchased 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $89.22 per share, for a total transaction of $17,844.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $438,873.18. This trade represents a 4.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

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

• On Thursday, February 5th, Bala Sathyanarayanan acquired 1,811 shares of Greif stock. The stock was acquired at an average price of $88.10 per share, with a total value of $159,549.10.
• On Thursday, February 5th, Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 10,838 shares of Greif stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.90, for a total transaction of $811,766.20.
• On Tuesday, February 3rd, Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 2,499 shares of Greif stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.29, for a total transaction of $180,652.71.
• On Tuesday, February 3rd, Bala Sathyanarayanan acquired 100 shares of Greif stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of $87.69 per share, with a total value of $8,769.00.
• On Wednesday, December 10th, Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 7,000 shares of Greif stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction of $466,340.00.

Greif Price Performance

GEF stock opened at $75.38 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $69.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $64.78. Greif, Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.23 and a 1 year high of $75.99. The stock has a market cap of $3.58 billion, a PE ratio of 27.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.48 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $994.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.39 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on GEF. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Zacks Research raised Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price target on Greif in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Greif from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.50.

Greif News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Greif this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CFO Lawrence Hilsheimer bought roughly 18,322 shares across Feb. 3–4 (total purchase value ~\$1.63M), a strong insider buy that can be seen as management confidence in the business and supports the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan made small purchases (100 and 200 shares on Feb. 3–4), a modest insider buy that provides additional alignment with shareholders. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Many insiders executed both buys and sells on nearby dates (different prices and sizes). Paired activity can reflect option exercises, tax/timing needs or rebalancing rather than a pure operational signal — interpret cautiously. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Net insider selling is significant: CFO sold 22,778 shares (~\$1.64M), EVP Bala sold ~13,337 shares (~\$992k across multiple trades) and SVP Kimberly Kellermann sold 5,265 shares (~\$379k). Aggregate proceeds exceed buys, which can exert near‑term pressure on the stock. Read More. Read More. Read More.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Greif

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Greif by 36.2% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 662 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Greif during the fourth quarter worth approximately $84,000. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Greif during the second quarter worth approximately $214,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Greif in the second quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of Greif during the second quarter worth approximately $227,000. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.