Greif, Inc. $GEF Shares Sold by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lessened its stake in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Free Report) by 51.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 67,336 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 70,525 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.14% of Greif worth $4,564,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GEF. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Greif by 75.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 524,603 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $31,352,000 after acquiring an additional 225,659 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Greif in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $6,052,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its holdings in Greif by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 837,742 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $56,715,000 after purchasing an additional 79,813 shares during the last quarter. Medina Value Partners LLC raised its holdings in Greif by 19.3% during the third quarter. Medina Value Partners LLC now owns 372,250 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $22,246,000 after purchasing an additional 60,338 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new stake in Greif during the second quarter worth $3,709,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.74% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on GEF. Zacks Research cut Greif from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Greif in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Greif from $76.00 to $70.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $73.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at Greif

In other news, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 10,838 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.90, for a total value of $811,766.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 36,807 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,756,844.30. This represents a 22.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Gaylord Benner sold 2,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.58, for a total value of $211,624.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 7,163 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $541,379.54. This trade represents a 28.10% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have acquired 22,252 shares of company stock worth $1,971,735 and have sold 54,211 shares worth $3,948,606. Insiders own 7.70% of the company's stock.

Greif Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GEF opened at $66.27 on Wednesday. Greif, Inc. has a 52 week low of $51.40 and a 52 week high of $77.14. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The company has a market cap of $3.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.55, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 0.92.

Greif (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.13 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 7.52%.Greif's revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Greif Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Greif's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.96%.

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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