Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Receives Consensus Rating of "Reduce" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts have assigned an average recommendation of "Reduce" on Greif from five brokerage firms (one sell, four hold) with a 12‑month average price target of $73.75, amid mixed recent notes including Wells Fargo cutting its target and Zacks downgrading to a strong sell.
• Greif missed its latest quarter, reporting EPS of $1.10 versus $1.16 expected and revenue of $1.07B versus $1.11B, while the stock trades near $65.37 with a P/E of 24.2 and analysts projecting ~$4.11 EPS for the year.
• Insiders have been net sellers recently — the CFO sold 22,778 shares and an SVP sold 2,800, with insiders selling 54,211 shares versus buying 22,252 in the last 90 days, and insiders now own about 7.7% of the company.

Shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Reduce" from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $73.75.

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Greif from $76.00 to $70.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price target on Greif in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Greif from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer sold 22,778 shares of Greif stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.83, for a total value of $1,636,143.74. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Gaylord Benner sold 2,800 shares of Greif stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.58, for a total value of $211,624.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 7,163 shares of the company's stock, valued at $541,379.54. This trade represents a 28.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders acquired 22,252 shares of company stock valued at $1,971,735 and sold 54,211 shares valued at $3,948,606. 7.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Greif

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Greif by 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 689 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Greif by 36.2% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 662 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Greif by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,682 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $385,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Greif by 1.3% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 21,494 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,397,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in Greif by 106.0% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 616 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Greif Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE:GEF opened at $65.37 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.23. Greif has a one year low of $51.40 and a one year high of $77.14. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $68.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.30. The stock has a market cap of $3.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 0.92.

Greif (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.06). Greif had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 7.52%.The business had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. The company's revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Greif will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Greif Announces Dividend

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

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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