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

Shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the seven analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $77.00.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Greif

In related news, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 748 shares of Greif stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 8th. The stock was 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 in the company, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP David C. Lloyd sold 2,263 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total transaction of $125,008.12. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 7,580 shares in the company, valued at $418,719.20. This trade represents a 22.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Greif

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Greif during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Greif during the fourth quarter worth $53,000. Quest Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Greif by 35.0% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 2,257 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $141,000 after buying an additional 585 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Greif by 28.2% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,444 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $149,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Greif in the 3rd quarter valued at $200,000. Institutional investors own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Greif Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of GEF stock opened at $54.89 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Greif has a 12 month low of $53.43 and a 12 month high of $73.16. The stock has a market cap of $2.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $58.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $62.27.

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

Greif Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.94%. Greif’s payout ratio is 61.71%.

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.