122,269 Shares in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Acquired by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 122,269 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $7,473,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.26% of Greif at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GEF. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Greif by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,541 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $342,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its holdings 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 worth $149,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Greif by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 69,900 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,272,000 after purchasing an additional 653 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Greif by 39.4% during the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 13,453 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $822,000 after buying an additional 3,799 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 45.74% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on GEF. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Greif from $65.00 to $56.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Greif from $75.00 to $68.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Greif from $75.00 to $67.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $74.17.

Greif Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:GEF traded down $0.59 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $55.17. 153,101 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 171,041. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The business's 50 day moving average is $53.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.62 billion, a PE ratio of 12.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.94. Greif, Inc. has a one year low of $48.23 and a one year high of $73.16.

Greif (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.11. Greif had a return on equity of 11.84% and a net margin of 4.81%. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. Greif's revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Greif Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be paid a $0.54 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.92%. Greif's dividend payout ratio is currently 61.71%.

Insider Activity at Greif

In related news, Director Mark A. Emkes acquired 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $55.89 per share, with a total value of $167,670.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 44,257 shares in the company, valued at $2,473,523.73. This represents a 7.27% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Frank Calhoun V. Miller acquired 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $58.50 per share, with a total value of $58,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,500. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. 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.