Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Greif, Inc. $GEF

Key Points

• Deprince Race & Zollo trimmed its Greif stake by 4.8% in the first quarter, selling 39,830 shares and leaving it with 797,912 shares valued at about $53.5 million.
• Greif reported Q2 earnings below expectations, posting $1.10 per share versus the $1.16 estimate, while revenue of $1.07 billion also missed forecasts.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.62 from $0.56, though its payout ratio is high at 95.02%, and analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold.

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lowered its position in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Free Report) by 4.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 797,912 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 39,830 shares during the quarter. Greif accounts for approximately 1.0% of Deprince Race & Zollo Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. owned about 1.72% of Greif worth $53,516,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GEF. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of 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 last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 9,000 shares during the last quarter. Medina Value Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Greif by 19.3% in the third quarter. Medina Value Partners LLC now owns 372,250 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $22,246,000 after purchasing an additional 60,338 shares during the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co acquired a new stake in Greif during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,054,000. Finally, EVR Research LP acquired a new stake in Greif during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $11,848,000. 45.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Greif Stock Performance

Greif stock opened at $74.97 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $3.46 billion, a PE ratio of 28.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $66.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.00. Greif, Inc. has a 12 month low of $55.75 and a 12 month high of $77.14.

Greif (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.06). Greif had a return on equity of 7.50% and a net margin of 7.27%.The business had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Greif, Inc. will post 3.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Greif Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 17th were issued a $0.62 dividend. This is a positive change from Greif's previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 17th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Greif's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 95.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on GEF. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Greif from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Greif from $79.00 to $78.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Greif from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Greif from $76.00 to $70.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Greif presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $73.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.26, for a total transaction of $130,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 65,832 shares in the company, valued at $4,296,196.32. The trade was a 2.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $406,680. Company insiders own 7.70% of the company's stock.

Greif Profile

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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