Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating on Greif, with three holds, one buy and one sell among five analysts. The average 12-month price target is $83.00, near the stock’s reported price of $82.95.
• Greif reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.61 versus the $1.11 consensus estimate and revenue of $1.17 billion. Revenue increased 3.5% year over year.
• Insiders sold nearly 99,000 shares worth $8.6 million over the past 90 days, while the company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.62 per share, equivalent to a 3.0% annualized yield.

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Hold" by the five brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $83.00.

Several research analysts recently commented on GEF shares. Weiss Ratings raised Greif from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Truist Financial reaffirmed 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Greif from $74.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Greif from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Bank of America cut shares of Greif from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Mark A. Emkes sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.04, for a total transaction of $261,120.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 43,400 shares in the company, valued at $3,777,536. The trade was a 6.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ole G. Rosgaard sold 40,087 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.68, for a total value of $3,474,741.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 88,267 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,650,983.56. This trade represents a 31.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 98,987 shares of company stock worth $8,608,418 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 7.70% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Greif

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in Greif by 33.3% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 689 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $385,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Greif by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 21,494 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,397,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of Greif by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 3,902 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $264,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Greif by 106.0% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 616 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.74% of the company's stock.

Greif Price Performance

NYSE:GEF opened at $82.95 on Wednesday. Greif has a 12 month low of $55.75 and a 12 month high of $90.57. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $80.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $72.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market cap of $3.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.74.

Greif (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.12 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 8.09% and a net margin of 7.53%.The business's revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Greif will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Greif Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, September 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 17th. Greif's dividend payout ratio is currently 77.74%.

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.

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