Greif (NYSE:GEF) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

Greif (NYSE:GEF) posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The industrial products company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.21), Zacks reports. The firm had revenue of $994.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 9.12% and a net margin of 3.74%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.39 earnings per share.

Greif Price Performance

Greif stock opened at $73.16 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.18. The company has a market capitalization of $3.47 billion, a PE ratio of 23.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.96. Greif has a one year low of $48.23 and a one year high of $73.56.

Greif Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 18th were paid a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 18th. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.11%.

Insider Activity at Greif

In other Greif news, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.98, for a total transaction of $129,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 60,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,942,856.44. This represents a 3.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total value of $466,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 37,725 shares in the company, valued at $2,513,239.50. The trade was a 15.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders purchased 32,293 shares of company stock valued at $2,145,733 and sold 70,584 shares valued at $4,408,749. Insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GEF. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in shares of Greif by 13.1% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 8,435 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $548,000 after buying an additional 976 shares during the period. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP bought a new position in Greif during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $977,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in Greif by 99.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 9,615 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $625,000 after acquiring an additional 4,795 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in Greif during the second quarter valued at approximately $609,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Greif in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,040,000. Institutional investors own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $72.00 price target (up from $68.00) on shares of Greif in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Greif in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $72.50.

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.