Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the seven analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $77.00.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Greif from $75.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and set a $65.00 target price (down previously from $71.00) on shares of Greif in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Bank of America reduced their target price on Greif from $79.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Greif from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd.

Greif Stock Performance

Shares of GEF opened at $54.96 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.91. Greif has a 52 week low of $53.43 and a 52 week high of $73.16. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $59.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $62.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.53.

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

Greif Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.54 dividend. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.71%.

Insider Activity

In other Greif news, Director Frank Calhoun V. Miller bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $58.50 per share, with a total value of $58,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $58,500. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer purchased 1,075 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $69.14 per share, with a total value of $74,325.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 165,426 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,437,553.64. This trade represents a 0.65 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought 5,075 shares of company stock valued at $300,496 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Greif

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GEF. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Greif during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Greif during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Quest Partners LLC increased its holdings in Greif by 35.0% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 2,257 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $141,000 after acquiring an additional 585 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in Greif by 28.2% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Greif in the 3rd quarter valued at $200,000. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Greif Company Profile

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.