Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Short Interest Down 12.2% in January

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 856,502 shares, a decrease of 12.2% from the December 31st total of 975,328 shares. Currently, 2.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 185,458 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.6 days. Based on an average trading volume of 185,458 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.6 days. Currently, 2.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction of $466,340.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 37,725 shares in the company, valued at $2,513,239.50. This trade represents a 15.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer purchased 1,000 shares of Greif stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $65.49 per share, with a total value of $65,490.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 198,444 shares in the company, valued at $12,996,097.56. This trade represents a 0.51% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders acquired 32,293 shares of company stock valued at $2,145,733 and sold 70,584 shares valued at $4,408,749. 7.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Greif

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Greif by 84.9% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $455,000 after buying an additional 3,215 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its position in shares of Greif by 147.5% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 11,470 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $745,000 after purchasing an additional 6,835 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in shares of Greif by 3.7% during the second quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 97,872 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,361,000 after purchasing an additional 3,509 shares in the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in shares of Greif in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,240,000. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Greif by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 115,667 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,517,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Greif Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE GEF opened at $72.41 on Wednesday. Greif has a 52 week low of $48.23 and a 52 week high of $74.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $69.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $64.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.44 billion, a PE ratio of 27.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.21). The business had revenue of $994.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. Greif had a net margin of 7.52% and a return on equity of 8.46%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.39 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Greif will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Greif Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 18th were paid a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 18th. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is currently 85.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Greif from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Zacks Research raised Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Greif in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.50.

About Greif

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.