Insider Selling: Greif (NYSE:GEF) CEO Sells 40,087 Shares of Stock

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) CEO Ole Rosgaard sold 40,087 shares of Greif stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.68, for a total transaction of $3,474,741.16. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 88,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,650,983.56. This represents a 31.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Greif Trading Up 3.0%

NYSE:GEF traded up $2.58 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $89.28. 527,013 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 231,012. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $55.75 and a 52 week high of $89.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.21, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.76. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $72.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.31.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly 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 earnings per share for the current year.

Greif Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GEF. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC raised its position in Greif by 10.8% during the 2nd quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 27,528 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,051,000 after purchasing an additional 2,694 shares in the last quarter. Readystate Asset Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Greif during the first quarter valued at $871,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new position in shares of Greif during the first quarter valued at $1,853,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of Greif by 61.5% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 15,165 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after acquiring an additional 5,775 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Greif by 5.9% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 90,939 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,099,000 after acquiring an additional 5,071 shares in the last quarter. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on GEF. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Greif from $74.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research raised shares of Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Truist Financial restated a “hold” rating and issued a $97.00 price target (up from $78.00) on shares of Greif in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Greif from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of Greif from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $83.00.

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.