AQR Capital Management LLC Sells 51,340 Shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF)

AQR Capital Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Free Report) by 17.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 237,569 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 51,340 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.50% of Greif worth $14,494,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Greif in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,219,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Greif by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 568,725 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $34,760,000 after purchasing an additional 44,088 shares during the period. Moran Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Greif during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,594,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Greif by 34.9% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 94,019 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,746,000 after purchasing an additional 24,300 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in Greif in the fourth quarter worth about $1,180,000. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Greif Price Performance

GEF opened at $53.78 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.55 billion, a PE ratio of 11.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.91. Greif, Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.23 and a 1 year high of $73.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The business's 50-day moving average is $53.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.31.

Greif (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The industrial products company reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by ($0.33). Greif had a return on equity of 11.84% and a net margin of 4.81%. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.26 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.54 dividend. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.02%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Greif's dividend payout ratio is presently 61.71%.

Insider Transactions at Greif

In related news, VP David C. Lloyd sold 2,263 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total transaction of $125,008.12. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 7,580 shares in the company, valued at approximately $418,719.20. This trade represents a 22.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark A. Emkes acquired 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $55.89 per share, with a total value of $167,670.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 44,257 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,473,523.73. This represents a 7.27 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GEF shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Greif from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Greif from $75.00 to $68.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Greif from $65.00 to $56.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Greif from $79.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Greif presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $75.50.

About Greif

Greif, Inc engages in the production and sale of industrial packaging products and services worldwide. The company operates through Global Industrial Packaging; Paper Packaging & Services; and Land Management segments. The Global Industrial Packaging segment produces and sells industrial packaging products, including steel, fiber, and plastic drums; rigid and flexible intermediate bulk containers; closure systems for industrial packaging products; transit protection products; water bottles, and remanufactured and reconditioned industrial containers; and various services, such as container life cycle management, filling, logistics, warehousing, and other packaging services to chemicals, paints and pigments, food and beverage, petroleum, industrial coatings, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, mineral product, and other industries.

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