Aquatic Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF)

Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 7,325 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $448,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GEF. Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Greif in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Greif by 28.2% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,444 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $149,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Greif in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $237,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Greif by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,966 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its holdings in Greif by 26.6% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 5,133 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $314,000 after buying an additional 1,077 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Greif Stock Performance

NYSE GEF opened at $54.33 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $54.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $60.45. Greif, Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.23 and a 1 year high of $73.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The industrial products company reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by ($0.33). The business had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.26 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 11.84% and a net margin of 4.81%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.54 per share. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.98%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is 61.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP David C. Lloyd sold 2,263 shares of Greif stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total transaction of $125,008.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 7,580 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $418,719.20. The trade was a 22.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Frank Calhoun V. Miller purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $58.50 per share, for a total transaction of $58,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,500. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Greif from $75.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Greif from $79.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Greif from $65.00 to $56.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Greif from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $75.50.

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.