Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $78.17.

GEF has been the topic of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Greif from $75.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Sidoti initiated coverage on shares of Greif in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $93.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Greif from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Greif from $79.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 748 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.21, for a total value of $45,037.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 32,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,970,613.09. This trade represents a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer bought 550 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $67.88 per share, with a total value of $37,334.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 162,151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,006,809.88. This represents a 0.34 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased a total of 6,225 shares of company stock worth $431,731 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Greif by 3.2% in the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its position in shares of Greif by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 3,068 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $192,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Greif by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,966 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the period. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Greif by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,541 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $342,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 433 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Greif Price Performance

Shares of GEF stock opened at $57.41 on Friday. Greif has a 52-week low of $53.42 and a 52-week high of $73.16. The stock has a market cap of $2.71 billion, a PE ratio of 12.70, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.53. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $60.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.05.

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

Greif Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.76%. Greif’s payout ratio is 47.79%.

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.