Insider Selling: Greif (NYSE:GEF) EVP Sells $109,670.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Greif EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 1,000 shares at an average price of $109.67, totaling $109,670 and reducing his position by 11.7% to 7,549 shares. He also sold 1,146 shares earlier in August.
• Greif’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $1.61 versus the $1.11 consensus and revenue of $1.17 billion, up 3.5% year over year.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $0.62 per share, or $2.48 annualized, producing a 2.9% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $83.

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.67, for a total transaction of $109,670.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $827,898.83. This trade represents a 11.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Bala Sathyanarayanan also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, August 7th, Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 1,146 shares of Greif stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.60, for a total transaction of $101,535.60.

Greif Price Performance

NYSE:GEF traded down $0.55 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $85.44. 46,958 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 229,998. The company has a market capitalization of $3.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.75. Greif, Inc. has a 12 month low of $55.75 and a 12 month high of $90.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $79.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $72.02.

Greif (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.50. Greif had a return on equity of 8.09% and a net margin of 7.53%.The company had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.86 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Greif, Inc. will post 4.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Greif Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 17th were paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. This is a boost from Greif's previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 17th. Greif's payout ratio is currently 77.74%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Greif by 1.3% during the 2nd 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. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Greif in the second quarter worth about $1,040,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in shares of Greif in the second quarter worth about $230,000. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Greif during the second quarter worth approximately $609,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Greif by 50.3% during the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 6,193 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $403,000 after purchasing an additional 2,072 shares in the last quarter. 45.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on GEF shares. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $97.00 price objective (up from $78.00) on shares of Greif in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Greif from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen raised Greif from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Greif from $74.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Greif from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $83.00.

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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