LSV Asset Management Sells 31,500 Shares of Greif, Inc. $GEF

LSV Asset Management trimmed its holdings in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) by 8.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 364,400 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 31,500 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in Greif were worth $21,777,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Greif by 36.2% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 662 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System purchased a new position in Greif in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $214,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC purchased a new position in Greif in the second quarter worth $216,000. Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Greif in the 2nd quarter worth about $227,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in Greif during the second quarter valued at approximately $230,000. 45.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GEF has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Greif in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Greif from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.50.

Greif Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of GEF opened at $76.95 on Friday. Greif, Inc. has a 1-year low of $48.23 and a 1-year high of $77.14. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $70.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.50, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.96.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 7.52%.The company had revenue of $994.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.39 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 18th. Greif’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.96%.

Insider Activity at Greif

In other news, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan purchased 1,819 shares of Greif stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $87.22 per share, with a total value of $158,653.18. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 8,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $745,643.78. This trade represents a 27.03% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.11, for a total value of $148,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 73,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,471,689.52. This trade represents a 2.64% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders purchased 24,252 shares of company stock valued at $2,102,715 and sold 77,213 shares valued at $5,432,906. Company insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.

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.