Greif (NYSE:GEF) EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan Acquires 1,811 Shares

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan purchased 1,811 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $88.10 per share, with a total value of $159,549.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 6,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $592,913. The trade was a 36.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

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

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

Greif Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of GEF stock traded up $1.42 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $75.38. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 262,030 shares, compared to its average volume of 218,940. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.58 billion, a PE ratio of 27.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.96. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $69.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.71. Greif, Inc. has a 12-month low of $48.23 and a 12-month high of $75.99.

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). Greif had a net margin of 7.52% and a return on equity of 8.46%. The company had revenue of $994.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

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

Key Headlines Impacting Greif

Here are the key news stories impacting Greif this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CFO Lawrence Hilsheimer bought roughly 18,322 shares across Feb. 3–4 (total purchase value ~\$1.63M), a strong insider buy that can be seen as management confidence in the business and supports the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan made small purchases (100 and 200 shares on Feb. 3–4), a modest insider buy that provides additional alignment with shareholders. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Many insiders executed both buys and sells on nearby dates (different prices and sizes). Paired activity can reflect option exercises, tax/timing needs or rebalancing rather than a pure operational signal — interpret cautiously. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Net insider selling is significant: CFO sold 22,778 shares (~\$1.64M), EVP Bala sold ~13,337 shares (~\$992k across multiple trades) and SVP Kimberly Kellermann sold 5,265 shares (~\$379k). Aggregate proceeds exceed buys, which can exert near‑term pressure on the stock. Read More. Read More. Read More.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of 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 last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in Greif by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 899,137 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $60,872,000 after purchasing an additional 3,793 shares in the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al increased its holdings in Greif by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 23,586 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,597,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its holdings in Greif by 91.5% in the fourth quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 18,839 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,275,000 after buying an additional 9,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Greif during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $409,000. 45.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.