Insider Selling: Greif (NYSE:GEF) CFO Sells 20,254 Shares

Key Points

• Greif CFO Lawrence Hilsheimer sold 20,254 shares at an average price of $88.51, generating approximately $1.79 million and reducing his direct holdings by nearly 30% to 47,325 shares.
• Greif’s stock fell 1.6% to $87.26, despite the company reporting quarterly EPS of $1.61—well above the $1.11 consensus estimate—and revenue growth of 3.5% year over year.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend from $0.56 to $0.62 per share, equivalent to a $2.48 annualized payout and a 2.8% yield; analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average $83 price target.

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) CFO Lawrence Hilsheimer sold 20,254 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.51, for a total transaction of $1,792,681.54. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 47,325 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,188,735.75. This represents a 29.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Greif Stock Down 1.6%

Greif stock traded down $1.42 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $87.26. The company's stock had a trading volume of 235,754 shares, compared to its average volume of 231,518. The company has a market capitalization of $4.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 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 business's 50 day simple moving average is $74.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $70.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.29.

Greif (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.12 billion. Greif had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 8.09%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Greif, Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Greif Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 17th were issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 17th. This is a boost from Greif's previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Greif's dividend payout ratio is currently 77.74%.

Institutional Trading of Greif

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Greif by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 689 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Greif by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,682 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $385,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Greif by 1.3% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 21,494 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,397,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC raised its stake in Greif by 8.4% in the first quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 3,902 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $264,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in shares of Greif by 106.0% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 616 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. 45.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on GEF. Truist Financial restated a "hold" rating and issued a $97.00 price target (up from $78.00) on shares of Greif in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Greif from $74.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research raised shares of Greif from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Greif from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Greif 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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