Greif (NYSE:GEF) Price Target Raised to $76.00

Greif (NYSE:GEF) had its target price boosted by Wells Fargo & Company from $73.00 to $76.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the industrial products company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on GEF. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price objective on Greif in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $75.25.

Greif Stock Performance

NYSE GEF opened at $74.69 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $71.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.52. The company has a market capitalization of $3.46 billion, a PE ratio of 27.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 0.96. Greif has a 1 year low of $48.23 and a 1 year high of $77.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.21). The firm had revenue of $994.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 7.52%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.39 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Greif will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Greif Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 18th were given a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 18th. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is presently 82.96%.

Insider Activity at Greif

In other Greif news, SVP Matthew B. Leahy sold 1,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.82, for a total transaction of $95,966.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,739 shares in the company, valued at approximately $202,192.98. This represents a 32.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 2,731 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.67, for a total transaction of $209,385.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 34,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,612,606.92. This trade represents a 7.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 22,252 shares of company stock worth $1,971,735 and sold 70,944 shares worth $5,095,812. Company insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Greif

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GEF. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Greif by 36.2% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 662 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Greif during the 4th quarter valued at about $84,000. Simplex Trading LLC raised its position in Greif by 399.5% during the fourth quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 1,853 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $125,000 after acquiring an additional 1,482 shares during the last quarter. Man Group plc acquired a new stake in shares of Greif in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Finally, Odyssean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Greif during the 4th quarter worth approximately $209,000. 45.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.