Greif (NYSE:GEF) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $89.15 and last traded at $88.59, with a volume of 81833 shares. The stock had previously closed at $86.70.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GEF has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $97.00 price target (up from $78.00) on shares of Greif in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Greif from $74.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Greif from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Bank of America cut Greif from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Greif has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $83.00.

Greif Price Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average is $72.23 and its 200 day moving average is $70.31. The firm has a market cap of $4.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.98, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.50. Greif had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 8.09%. The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.86 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Greif, Inc. will post 4.06 EPS for the current year.

Greif Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 17th were issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 17th. This is a boost from Greif’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.14, for a total transaction of $146,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 63,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,668,672.48. This represents a 3.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $412,120 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Greif

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Greif by 106.0% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 616 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in Greif by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 689 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Greif in the fourth quarter valued at $84,000. Simplex Trading LLC raised its position in shares of Greif by 399.5% in the fourth quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 1,853 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $125,000 after purchasing an additional 1,482 shares during the period. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG bought a new position in shares of Greif in the first quarter valued at about $201,000. 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.