Dark Forest Capital Management LP Has $1.54 Million Stock Position in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF)

Dark Forest Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Free Report) by 48.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,210 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 8,227 shares during the quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP owned approximately 0.05% of Greif worth $1,541,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GEF. Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Greif during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Greif by 28.2% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,444 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $149,000 after buying an additional 537 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Greif by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,966 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $242,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Greif by 26.6% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 5,133 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 1,077 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its position in shares of Greif by 31.9% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 5,452 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 1,320 shares during the period. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Greif Stock Performance

GEF traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $53.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 13,873 shares, compared to its average volume of 163,819. Greif, Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.23 and a 52 week high of $73.16. The firm has a market cap of $2.54 billion, a PE ratio of 11.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.91. The company's 50-day moving average is $54.75 and its 200-day moving average is $60.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.53.

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

Greif Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.04%. Greif's payout ratio is presently 61.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mark A. Emkes bought 3,000 shares of Greif stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $55.89 per share, with a total value of $167,670.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 44,257 shares in the company, valued at $2,473,523.73. This trade represents a 7.27 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP David C. Lloyd sold 2,263 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total value of $125,008.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 7,580 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $418,719.20. This trade represents a 22.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.