Greif (NYSE:GEF) Share Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF)’s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $67.60 and traded as high as $70.65. Greif shares last traded at $67.9870, with a volume of 169,205 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Greif from $76.00 to $70.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Greif from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Greif from $79.00 to $78.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price target on shares of Greif in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Greif presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $73.50.

Greif Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $3.15 billion, a PE ratio of 26.05, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $67.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.60.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. Greif had a net margin of 7.27% and a return on equity of 7.50%. Greif’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Greif, Inc. will post 3.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Greif Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Greif’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 85.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 2,731 shares of Greif stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.67, for a total value of $209,385.77. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 34,076 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,612,606.92. This trade represents a 7.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.42, for a total transaction of $140,840.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 69,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,917,569.44. The trade was a 2.78% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 8,731 shares of company stock worth $633,426 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GEF. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Greif by 75.5% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 524,603 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,352,000 after buying an additional 225,659 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Greif by 119.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 325,951 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $22,067,000 after buying an additional 177,203 shares during the last quarter. EVR Research LP purchased a new position in shares of Greif in the fourth quarter worth $11,848,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Greif in the second quarter worth $6,052,000. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Greif by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 837,742 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $56,715,000 after buying an additional 79,813 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

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.