Greif (NYSE:GEF) EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan Sells 10,838 Shares

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 10,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.90, for a total value of $811,766.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 36,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,756,844.30. This trade represents a 22.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Bala Sathyanarayanan also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, February 3rd, Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 2,499 shares of Greif stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.29, for a total transaction of $180,652.71.
• On Tuesday, February 3rd, Bala Sathyanarayanan bought 100 shares of Greif stock. The stock was purchased at an average price of $87.69 per share, with a total value of $8,769.00.
• On Wednesday, February 4th, Bala Sathyanarayanan purchased 200 shares of Greif stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of $89.22 per share, for a total transaction of $17,844.00.
• On Wednesday, December 10th, Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 7,000 shares of Greif stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction of $466,340.00.

Greif Price Performance

Shares of GEF opened at $74.23 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $69.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.71. Greif, Inc. has a twelve month low of $48.23 and a twelve month high of $75.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.53 billion, a PE ratio of 27.44, a P/E/G 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 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.21). Greif had a net margin of 7.52% and a return on equity of 8.46%. The business had revenue of $994.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.39 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Greif Announces Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Greif

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GEF. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Greif by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,682 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $385,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in Greif by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 899,137 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $60,872,000 after purchasing an additional 3,793 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al increased its position in Greif by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 23,586 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,597,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its stake in Greif by 91.5% during the fourth quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 18,839 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,275,000 after purchasing an additional 9,000 shares during the period. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Greif in the 4th quarter valued at $409,000. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 target price on shares of Greif in a report on Thursday, January 29th. 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. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Greif from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Greif presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.50.

Greif News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Greif this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CFO Lawrence Hilsheimer bought a total of 18,322 shares across Feb. 3–4 (11,617 at ~$87.42 and 6,705 at ~$91.18), a roughly $1.63M purchase that signals confidence in the business from the finance chief. CFO Form 4 (purchases)
• Positive Sentiment: EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan made small purchases (100 and 200 shares on Feb. 3–4), a minor insider buy that is a modest positive sign. EVP Form 4 (purchases)
• Neutral Sentiment: Some transactions appear paired (same insiders both buying and selling on nearby dates and at very different prices). That pattern can reflect exercises, tax planning or portfolio rebalancing rather than a pure signal about company prospects, so interpret mixed buys/sells cautiously. Relevant filings for these combined moves are below. CFO combined Form 4 EVP combined Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Net insider selling: CFO sold 22,778 shares (Feb. 3) for ~$1.64M, EVP Bala sold 13,337 shares across Feb. 3–5 (~$992k total), and SVP Kimberly Kellermann sold 5,265 shares (~$379k). Collectively insiders sold far more shares (and realized net proceeds) than they bought, a negative signal that likely pressures the stock. CFO sale Form 4 EVP sale Form 4 SVP Form 4

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.