Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages
by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets DailyShares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF – Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the five brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $83.00.
GEF has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Greif from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Greif from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Greif from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Greif from $74.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Truist Financial reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $97.00 price objective (up from $78.00) on shares of Greif in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on GEF
Insider Buying and Selling at Greif
In related news, Director Mark Emkes sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.04, for a total transaction of $261,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 43,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,777,536. This trade represents a 6.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of Greif stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.14, for a total value of $166,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 53,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,475,592.48. The trade was a 3.58% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 98,987 shares of company stock worth $8,644,178 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its position in 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 buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Greif by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,682 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Greif by 8.4% in the first quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 3,902 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $264,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Greif by 106.0% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 616 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in shares of Greif by 19.0% during the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,585 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $308,000 after acquiring an additional 731 shares during the period. 45.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Key Stories Impacting Greif
Here are the key news stories impacting Greif this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Zacks lifted its FY2027 EPS forecast to $4.48 from $4.15, Q4 2027 EPS to $1.02 from $0.91, and Q2 2028 EPS to $1.14 from $1.05. These revisions suggest improving expectations for Greif’s earnings outlook. Greif analyst estimate revisions
- Positive Sentiment: Zacks also raised its FY2028 EPS forecast to $4.91 from $4.65, while increasing estimates for Q1 2028 EPS to $0.80 from $0.73 and Q3 2028 EPS to $1.56 from $1.45. The longer-term upgrades indicate expectations for sustained profit growth. Greif long-term earnings estimates
- Neutral Sentiment: For comparison, the current consensus estimate for Greif’s full-year earnings is $4.30 per share. Zacks estimates FY2026 EPS at $4.28, slightly below consensus, but forecasts FY2027 and FY2028 earnings above the current-year level, implying anticipated earnings momentum beyond FY2026. Greif earnings consensus
- Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered its FY2026 EPS forecast to $4.28 from $4.31, Q4 2026 EPS to $1.09 from $1.12, and Q1 2027 EPS to $0.71 from $0.72. The modest cuts could limit near-term upside and signal some pressure on upcoming results. Greif near-term earnings revisions
Greif Trading Up 0.7%
Shares of GEF opened at $82.11 on Friday. Greif has a 1 year low of $55.75 and a 1 year high of $90.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $84.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $74.11. The stock has a market cap of $3.79 billion, a PE ratio of 25.74, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.77.
Greif (NYSE:GEF – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.50. Greif had a return on equity of 8.09% and a net margin of 7.53%.The business had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.86 EPS. Greif’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Greif will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Greif Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 17th were issued a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 17th. Greif’s payout ratio is presently 77.74%.
Greif Company Profile
Greif, Inc (NYSE: GEF) is a global producer of industrial packaging and paper-based products. The company manufactures and sells steel, plastic and fiber drums; rigid intermediate bulk containers; containerboard; corrugated sheets and products; and other packaging solutions used to transport and protect goods.
Greif serves customers across industries including food and beverage, chemicals, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, industrial manufacturing and consumer products. Its operations span North America, Europe and other international markets, supporting customers through a network of manufacturing, recycling and distribution facilities.
Founded in 1877, Greif has expanded from a paper and timber business into a diversified packaging company.
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