Greif (NYSE:GEF) Hits New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $89.15 and last traded at $88.59, with a volume of 81833 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $86.70.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GEF. Zacks Research raised shares of Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Bank of America cut Greif from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings raised Greif from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday. 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. Finally, Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $97.00 target price (up from $78.00) on shares of Greif in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $83.00.

Greif Stock Down 2.1%

The company has a market capitalization of $4.07 billion, a PE ratio of 34.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.75. The company’s fifty day moving average is $73.25 and its 200-day moving average is $70.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.29.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. Greif had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 8.09%. The company’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.86 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Greif, Inc. will post 4.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Greif Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.26, for a total value of $511,560.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 57,832 shares in the company, valued at $4,930,756.32. The trade was a 9.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark A. Emkes sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.04, for a total value of $261,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 43,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,777,536. This trade represents a 6.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 55,087 shares of company stock worth $4,659,541. Corporate insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its position in shares of Greif by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 837,742 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $56,715,000 after acquiring an additional 79,813 shares during the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its stake in Greif by 631.5% during the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 26,043 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,763,000 after acquiring an additional 22,483 shares in the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its holdings in Greif by 91.5% in the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 18,839 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 9,000 shares during the last quarter. Readystate Asset Management LP bought a new stake in Greif in the 1st quarter valued at $871,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new stake in Greif in the 1st quarter worth $1,853,000. 45.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.