Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Greif has a consensus analyst rating of "Hold" from five brokerages, with an average 12-month target price of $73.50.
• Recent analyst actions were mixed but generally cautious, including target price cuts from Truist and Wells Fargo, while Zacks and Weiss both moved their ratings to hold.
• The company reported Q1 earnings below expectations and recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.62 per share, implying a 3.5% yield, though the payout ratio is high at 95.02%.

Shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the five brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $73.50.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Greif from $79.00 to $78.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Zacks Research raised shares of Greif from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Greif from $76.00 to $70.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Greif from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Greif news, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of Greif stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.14, for a total value of $146,280.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 63,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,668,672.48. The trade was a 3.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $412,120. Insiders own 7.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Greif

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its stake in Greif by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 837,742 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $56,715,000 after purchasing an additional 79,813 shares during the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its position in Greif by 631.5% in the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 26,043 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,763,000 after purchasing an additional 22,483 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its position in Greif by 91.5% in the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 18,839 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,275,000 after purchasing an additional 9,000 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Greif during the 1st quarter worth about $480,000. Finally, EVR Research LP acquired a new position in shares of Greif during the fourth quarter valued at about $11,848,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.74% of the company's stock.

Greif Stock Down 3.0%

Shares of Greif stock opened at $71.36 on Tuesday. Greif has a 12-month low of $55.75 and a 12-month high of $77.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $67.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.34, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.76.

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

Greif Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 17th were paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 17th. This is a positive change from Greif's previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. Greif's dividend payout ratio is currently 95.02%.

Greif Company 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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