DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale Buys 38,260 Shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF)

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its holdings in shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Free Report) by 121.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 69,664 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 38,260 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale owned approximately 0.15% of Greif worth $4,540,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GEF. Meritage Portfolio Management boosted its position in Greif by 5.3% during the third quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 3,423 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in Greif by 4.1% during the third quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,445 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $297,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. boosted its position in Greif by 4.4% during the third quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 4,600 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Greif by 4.7% during the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,921 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $329,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Investors Research Corp boosted its position in Greif by 2.3% during the third quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 11,150 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $745,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.74% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on GEF shares. StockNews.com upgraded Greif from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Greif from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $64.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 11th.

Greif Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GEF traded down $1.66 on Friday, hitting $63.29. The company had a trading volume of 98,956 shares, compared to its average volume of 169,961. The business has a 50 day moving average of $64.26 and a 200 day moving average of $65.04. Greif, Inc. has a 52-week low of $59.37 and a 52-week high of $76.00. The company has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a PE ratio of 10.95, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Greif (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $1.07. Greif had a return on equity of 18.65% and a net margin of 6.53%. The firm had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.06 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Greif, Inc. will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 18th were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 15th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.29%. Greif's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Greif news, VP Gary R. Martz bought 4,000 shares of Greif stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $68.98 per share, for a total transaction of $275,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 17,018 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,173,901.64. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CEO Ole G. Rosgaard purchased 4,705 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $67.00 per share, for a total transaction of $315,235.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $315,235. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Gary R. Martz purchased 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $68.98 per share, with a total value of $275,920.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president now directly owns 17,018 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,173,901.64. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 42,934 shares of company stock worth $2,864,352 and have sold 6,000 shares worth $384,620. 3.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Greif Company Profile

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.