Greif (NYSE:GEF) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Buy” Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Greif (NYSE:GEF) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on GEF. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Greif from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Greif from $74.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research upgraded Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Bank of America cut Greif from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Truist Financial restated a “hold” rating and set a $97.00 target price (up from $78.00) on shares of Greif in a research note on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $83.00.

Greif Stock Performance

Shares of Greif stock opened at $88.54 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a PE ratio of 27.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $74.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $70.81. Greif has a one year low of $55.75 and a one year high of $90.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.29.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.50. Greif had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 8.09%. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.12 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.86 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Greif will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Greif Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 17th were issued a $0.62 dividend. This is an increase from Greif’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 17th. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is 77.74%.

Insider Transactions at Greif

In related news, CEO Ole G. Rosgaard sold 40,087 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.68, for a total value of $3,474,741.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 88,267 shares in the company, valued at $7,650,983.56. This trade represents a 31.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Mark A. Emkes sold 3,000 shares of Greif stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.04, for a total value of $261,120.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 43,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,777,536. This represents a 6.47% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 55,087 shares of company stock worth $4,659,541. Company insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 79,813 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC raised its position in Greif by 631.5% during the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 26,043 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,763,000 after buying an additional 22,483 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its stake in Greif by 91.5% during the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 18,839 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 9,000 shares during the period. Readystate Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in Greif during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $871,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Greif in the 1st quarter valued at $1,853,000. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.