William Blair Investment Management LLC Sells 29,523 Shares of Greif, Inc. $GEF

William Blair Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) by 9.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 285,082 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 29,523 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Greif were worth $19,300,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GEF. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Greif by 75.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 524,603 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,352,000 after purchasing an additional 225,659 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new position in Greif in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,052,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its stake in Greif by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 837,742 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $56,715,000 after purchasing an additional 79,813 shares during the period. Medina Value Partners LLC boosted its stake in Greif by 19.3% in the 3rd quarter. Medina Value Partners LLC now owns 372,250 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $22,246,000 after purchasing an additional 60,338 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new position in Greif in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,709,000. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Greif

In related news, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.66, for a total transaction of $135,320.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 67,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,589,513.12. This represents a 2.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $411,140. 7.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on GEF shares. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price target on Greif in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Greif from $79.00 to $78.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Zacks Research upgraded Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Greif from $76.00 to $70.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.50.

Greif Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE GEF opened at $64.32 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.82. Greif, Inc. has a one year low of $54.03 and a one year high of $77.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $66.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.11.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last posted its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $1.07 billion for 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 firm’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Greif, Inc. will post 3.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Greif Company Profile

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.