Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Receives $74.50 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the six analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $74.50.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on GEF shares. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 target price on shares of Greif in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Zacks Research raised Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Wall Street Zen raised Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Greif from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th.

Greif Price Performance

Greif stock opened at $75.31 on Friday. Greif has a one year low of $48.23 and a one year high of $77.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.23. The business has a fifty day moving average of $71.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.37. The company has a market cap of $3.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.96.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.21). Greif had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 7.52%.The company had revenue of $994.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Greif will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Greif Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Greif

In other Greif news, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 10,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.90, for a total transaction of $811,766.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 36,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,756,844.30. This trade represents a 22.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Gaylord Benner sold 2,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.58, for a total value of $211,624.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 7,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $541,379.54. This trade represents a 28.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders bought 22,252 shares of company stock worth $1,971,735 and sold 70,944 shares worth $5,095,812. Company insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GEF. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in shares of Greif by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 895,344 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $53,506,000 after acquiring an additional 54,256 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in Greif during the second quarter worth approximately $1,061,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Greif by 21.7% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 131,131 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,522,000 after purchasing an additional 23,422 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in shares of Greif in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,220,000. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Greif during the 2nd quarter valued at $690,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.