LSV Asset Management Sells 49,500 Shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF)

LSV Asset Management lessened its position in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Free Report) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,067,471 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 49,500 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management owned approximately 2.28% of Greif worth $70,015,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bfsg LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Greif in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $176,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Greif during the 3rd quarter valued at $213,000. Meritage Portfolio Management grew its stake in shares of Greif by 5.3% in 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. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Greif during the fourth quarter valued at $229,000. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Greif by 30.1% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,819 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares in the last quarter. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Greif Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GEF traded up $0.62 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $62.90. 114,114 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 181,280. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $64.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $64.59. The company has a market cap of $2.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.57. Greif, Inc. has a 52 week low of $59.37 and a 52 week high of $76.00.

Greif (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20 by $1.07. The firm had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.26 billion. Greif had a net margin of 6.53% and a return on equity of 18.65%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.06 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Greif, Inc. will post 4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 18th were given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 15th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. Greif's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GEF has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Greif from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the company from $64.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Greif in a report on Thursday, April 18th. They set a "hold" rating and a $71.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Greif presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $77.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Treasurer Anthony John Krabill purchased 745 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $63.12 per share, for a total transaction of $47,024.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the treasurer now directly owns 1,651 shares of the company's stock, valued at $104,211.12. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Greif news, VP Gary R. Martz acquired 1,925 shares of Greif stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $68.86 per share, with a total value of $132,555.50. Following the purchase, the vice president now owns 10,025 shares in the company, valued at $690,321.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Treasurer Anthony John Krabill acquired 745 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $63.12 per share, with a total value of $47,024.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the treasurer now directly owns 1,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $104,211.12. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have purchased 42,934 shares of company stock valued at $2,864,352 and have sold 6,000 shares valued at $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.