Hsbc Holdings PLC Acquires New Position in Greif, Inc. $GEF

Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new position in shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 10,748 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $717,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its position in Greif by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 837,742 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $56,715,000 after buying an additional 79,813 shares during the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Greif by 631.5% in the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 26,043 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,763,000 after buying an additional 22,483 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Greif by 91.5% during the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 18,839 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 9,000 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Greif during the 1st quarter worth about $480,000. Finally, EVR Research LP acquired a new position in shares of Greif during the 4th quarter valued at about $11,848,000. 45.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Greif Price Performance

NYSE GEF opened at $87.40 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $70.09. Greif, Inc. has a twelve month low of $55.75 and a twelve month high of $88.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.03 billion, a PE ratio of 33.49, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.29.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 8.09% and a net margin of 7.53%.The company’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Greif, Inc. will post 3.81 EPS for the current year.

Greif Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 17th were given a $0.62 dividend. This is a positive change from Greif’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 17th. Greif’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on GEF. Zacks Research raised Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Bank of America cut Greif from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Greif from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Greif from $74.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Greif from $79.00 to $78.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $78.25.

Greif News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Greif this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Greif reported fiscal third-quarter earnings of $1.61 per share, well above the $1.11 analyst consensus, while revenue of $1.17 billion exceeded the $1.12 billion estimate. Revenue rose 3.5% year over year, with pricing, cost optimization and lower interest expense supporting earnings growth. Greif Reports Fiscal Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management maintained its outlook, suggesting that the better quarter did not rely on a significant reduction in expectations. The earnings beat and unchanged guidance helped drive Greif to a new 52-week high. Greif Earnings Beat Estimates in Q3 on Pricing and Cost Optimization
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target for GEF from $74 to $90. Although the firm retained an “equal weight” rating, the higher target indicates improved valuation support following the results. Wells Fargo Price Target Update
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the positive earnings reaction, Wells Fargo’s equal-weight stance indicates limited conviction that Greif will materially outperform the broader market from current levels.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed several forward EPS estimates, including fiscal 2026 to $1.18, fiscal 2027 to $4.45 and fiscal 2028 to $4.48. Zacks maintained a “Hold” rating, signaling some caution about longer-term earnings momentum.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.14, for a total transaction of $146,280.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 63,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,668,672.48. The trade was a 3.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $412,120 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.

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.