Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Shares Acquired by Park Avenue Securities LLC

Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its position in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) by 26.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,133 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,077 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Greif were worth $314,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GEF. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in Greif by 4.0% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 784,004 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $49,126,000 after purchasing an additional 30,192 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Greif by 9.3% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 524,637 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,874,000 after purchasing an additional 44,473 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Greif by 16.7% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 372,040 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $21,381,000 after buying an additional 53,110 shares during the period. Systematic Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in Greif by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 302,552 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $18,958,000 after buying an additional 40,494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in Greif in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $4,012,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Greif Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE GEF opened at $61.69 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $64.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $63.29. The company has a market capitalization of $2.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.95. Greif, Inc. has a 1 year low of $55.95 and a 1 year high of $73.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.23). The business had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.41 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 11.84% and a net margin of 4.81%. Greif’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.56 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Greif, Inc. will post 4.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.54 dividend. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Greif’s payout ratio is 47.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GEF has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Greif from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Sidoti started coverage on Greif in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Greif from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on Greif from $79.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Greif currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.33.

Insider Activity at Greif

In other news, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 748 shares of Greif 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 32,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,970,613.09. The trade was a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director B Andrew Rose purchased 3,500 shares of Greif stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $70.20 per share, with a total value of $245,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,500 shares in the company, valued at $245,700. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased 6,225 shares of company stock valued at $431,731 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Greif 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.