Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 18,339 Shares of Greif, Inc. $GEF

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) by 30.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 78,173 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,339 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Greif were worth $4,672,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Greif by 36.2% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 662 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System bought a new position in Greif in the 2nd quarter worth about $214,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Greif in the 2nd quarter valued at about $216,000. Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Greif during the 2nd quarter valued at about $227,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Greif during the 2nd quarter valued at about $230,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Greif Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of Greif stock opened at $76.95 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.23. Greif, Inc. has a 52-week low of $48.23 and a 52-week high of $77.14. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $70.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 0.96.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $994.80 million for 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.39 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Greif Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 18th were paid a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 18th. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Greif’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on GEF shares. 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 raised shares of Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective 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. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 target price on shares of Greif in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Greif presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Greif news, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan purchased 1,819 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $87.22 per share, with a total value of $158,653.18. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $745,643.78. This trade represents a 27.03% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.11, for a total value of $148,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 73,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,471,689.52. This trade represents a 2.64% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders purchased 24,252 shares of company stock valued at $2,102,715 and sold 68,213 shares valued at $4,886,426. Company insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.

Greif 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.