Greif (NYSE:GEF) Hits New 12-Month High After Earnings Beat

Shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $83.39 and last traded at $83.1330, with a volume of 212844 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $80.33.

The industrial products company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.50. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 8.09% and a net margin of 7.53%.The firm’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.86 earnings per share.

Greif Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 17th were given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from Greif’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 17th. Greif’s payout ratio is 95.02%.

Key Stories Impacting Greif

Here are the key news stories impacting Greif this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Greif reported fiscal third-quarter earnings of $1.61 per share, well above the $1.11 analyst consensus, while revenue of $1.17 billion exceeded the $1.12 billion estimate. Revenue rose 3.5% year over year, with pricing, cost optimization and lower interest expense supporting earnings growth. Greif Reports Fiscal Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management maintained its outlook, suggesting that the better quarter did not rely on a significant reduction in expectations. The earnings beat and unchanged guidance helped drive Greif to a new 52-week high. Greif Earnings Beat Estimates in Q3 on Pricing and Cost Optimization
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target for GEF from $74 to $90. Although the firm retained an “equal weight” rating, the higher target indicates improved valuation support following the results. Wells Fargo Price Target Update
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the positive earnings reaction, Wells Fargo’s equal-weight stance indicates limited conviction that Greif will materially outperform the broader market from current levels.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed several forward EPS estimates, including fiscal 2026 to $1.18, fiscal 2027 to $4.45 and fiscal 2028 to $4.48. Zacks maintained a “Hold” rating, signaling some caution about longer-term earnings momentum.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Greif from $79.00 to $78.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Greif from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Bank of America cut shares of Greif from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Greif from $74.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $78.25.

Insider Activity at Greif

In other news, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.14, for a total transaction of $146,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 63,832 shares in the company, valued at $4,668,672.48. This represents a 3.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 6,000 shares of company stock worth $412,120 in the last three months. 7.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Greif

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GEF. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Greif by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 837,742 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $56,715,000 after acquiring an additional 79,813 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Greif by 631.5% during the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 26,043 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,763,000 after acquiring an additional 22,483 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its holdings in Greif by 91.5% during the fourth quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 18,839 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,275,000 after purchasing an additional 9,000 shares in the last quarter. Readystate Asset Management LP purchased a new position in Greif during the first quarter worth about $871,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Greif during the first quarter worth about $480,000. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Greif Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market cap of $4.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.49, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.76. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $71.34 and its 200 day moving average is $70.09.

Greif Company Profile

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.