Greif (NYSE:GEF) EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan Acquires 1,819 Shares of Stock

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan purchased 1,819 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $87.22 per share, with a total value of $158,653.18. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,549 shares in the company, valued at $745,643.78. This trade represents a 27.03% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Bala Sathyanarayanan also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, February 5th, Bala Sathyanarayanan acquired 1,811 shares of Greif stock. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $88.10 per share, with a total value of $159,549.10.
• On Thursday, February 5th, Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 10,838 shares of Greif stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.90, for a total transaction of $811,766.20.
• On Tuesday, February 3rd, Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 2,499 shares of Greif stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.29, for a total value of $180,652.71.
• On Tuesday, February 3rd, Bala Sathyanarayanan purchased 100 shares of Greif stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of $87.69 per share, for a total transaction of $8,769.00.
• On Wednesday, February 4th, Bala Sathyanarayanan acquired 200 shares of Greif stock. The stock was acquired at an average price of $89.22 per share, with a total value of $17,844.00.
• On Wednesday, December 10th, Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 7,000 shares of Greif stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total value of $466,340.00.

Greif Price Performance

GEF opened at $75.76 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.51 billion, a PE ratio of 28.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.96. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $70.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.93. Greif, Inc. has a 52-week low of $48.23 and a 52-week high of $76.13.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.21). The company had revenue of $994.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. Greif had a net margin of 7.52% and a return on equity of 8.46%. Greif’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.39 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Greif Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 18th were issued a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 18th. Greif’s payout ratio is 82.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on GEF. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Greif in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Greif from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, Greif presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.50.

Institutional Trading of Greif

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Greif by 36.2% during 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. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position in Greif by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,682 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $385,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Greif by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 21,494 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,397,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of Greif by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $390,000 after buying an additional 314 shares during the period. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its holdings in shares of Greif by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 31,906 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,074,000 after buying an additional 444 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.