Greif (NYSE:GEF) Share Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $68.88 and traded as high as $75.15. Greif shares last traded at $74.8730, with a volume of 573,044 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GEF has been the subject of several recent research reports. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Greif from $79.00 to $78.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Greif from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Greif from $76.00 to $70.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Greif currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.50.

Greif Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $66.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.88.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. Greif had a net margin of 7.27% and a return on equity of 7.50%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.19 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Greif, Inc. will post 3.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Greif Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 17th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 17th. This is an increase from Greif’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.02%.

Insider Activity at Greif

In other news, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.26, for a total value of $130,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 65,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,296,196.32. This represents a 2.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $406,680. Corporate insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GEF. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in Greif by 106.0% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 616 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Greif by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 689 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Greif during the fourth quarter worth $84,000. Simplex Trading LLC grew its holdings in shares of Greif by 399.5% in the 4th quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 1,853 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $125,000 after buying an additional 1,482 shares during the period. Finally, Man Group plc acquired a new position in shares of Greif in the 4th quarter valued at $201,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

About Greif

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.