Greif (NYSE:GEF) CFO Sells $1,792,681.54 in Stock

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) CFO Lawrence Hilsheimer sold 20,254 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.51, for a total transaction of $1,792,681.54. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 47,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,188,735.75. This trade represents a 29.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Greif Trading Up 0.4%

Greif stock opened at $87.88 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $75.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $71.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.55, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.75. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $55.75 and a 52 week high of $90.57.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.50. Greif had a return on equity of 8.09% and a net margin of 7.53%.The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.86 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Greif, Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Greif Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 17th were issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 17th. This is a boost from Greif’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. Greif’s payout ratio is presently 77.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Greif from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Truist Financial restated a “hold” rating and set a $97.00 target price (up from $78.00) on shares of Greif in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Greif from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Greif from $74.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $83.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Greif

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC increased its position 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 worth $1,763,000 after acquiring an additional 22,483 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 79,813 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its position in shares of Greif by 91.5% in the fourth quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 18,839 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,275,000 after buying an additional 9,000 shares in the last quarter. Readystate Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Greif in the first quarter valued at approximately $871,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in shares of Greif in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,853,000. Institutional investors own 45.74% 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.