Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Makes New $46.28 Million Investment in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF)

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. acquired a new position in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 757,180 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $46,279,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. owned about 1.60% of Greif as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Greif in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Greif during the fourth quarter worth $53,000. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in Greif by 28.2% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,444 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $149,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new position in Greif in the 4th quarter valued at $237,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Greif by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,966 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 45.74% of the company's stock.

Greif Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of GEF stock opened at $53.53 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Greif, Inc. has a 12-month low of $48.23 and a 12-month high of $73.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.94. The firm's 50 day moving average is $53.79 and its 200 day moving average is $60.21.

Greif (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.26 billion. Greif had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 11.84%. Research analysts expect that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Greif

In other Greif news, VP David C. Lloyd sold 2,263 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total transaction of $125,008.12. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 7,580 shares of the company's stock, valued at $418,719.20. The trade was a 22.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Frank Calhoun V. Miller purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $58.50 per share, for a total transaction of $58,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $58,500. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by 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.

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