Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Forecast for Greif Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research has increased its Q4 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimate for Greif, Inc. to $1.50, slightly above the previous estimate of $1.49.
• Greif reported earnings of $1.19 EPS in its last quarterly report, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.08, with revenue of $1.39 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.54, which represents an annualized dividend yield of 3.4%.

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q4 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Greif in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, August 4th. Zacks Research analyst M. Das now forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings of $1.50 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.49. The consensus estimate for Greif's current full-year earnings is $4.11 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Greif's Q1 2027 earnings at $0.71 EPS and Q3 2027 earnings at $1.72 EPS.

Greif (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.43 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 10.21% and a net margin of 3.74%. The firm's revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.82 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on GEF. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Greif from $75.00 to $67.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $77.00 target price (up previously from $71.00) on shares of Greif in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Greif from $65.00 to $56.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Greif currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $74.83.

Greif Trading Up 0.2%

Greif stock traded up $0.15 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $66.68. The company had a trading volume of 154,244 shares, compared to its average volume of 194,113. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.78, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.00. Greif has a 12-month low of $48.23 and a 12-month high of $73.16. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $65.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.26.

Greif Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 17th were given a dividend of $0.54 per share. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 17th. Greif's dividend payout ratio is currently 60.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Greif

In related news, SVP Kimberly Anne Kellermann sold 9,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.88, for a total transaction of $610,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 3,548 shares in the company, valued at $240,838.24. The trade was a 71.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.88, for a total value of $68,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 100,677 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,934,631.76. The trade was a 0.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 94,741 shares of company stock worth $6,448,252. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Greif

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GEF. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Greif in the 4th quarter worth $4,219,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Greif during the 4th quarter valued at about $496,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Greif by 34.9% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 94,019 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,746,000 after purchasing an additional 24,300 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in shares of Greif by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,013 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in Greif during the fourth quarter worth $431,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.74% of the company's stock.

About Greif

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.