Greif (NYSE:GEF) Stock Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $66.02 and traded as high as $66.85. Greif shares last traded at $66.3680, with a volume of 152,808 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Greif from $76.00 to $70.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Greif from $71.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 6th. Zacks Research raised Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price target on Greif in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.75.

Greif Trading Down 0.5%

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $71.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.21). Greif had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 7.52%.The business had revenue of $994.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.39 EPS. Greif’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Greif Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Greif’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.96%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Greif news, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 10,838 shares of Greif stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.90, for a total value of $811,766.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 36,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,756,844.30. The trade was a 22.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.54, for a total value of $143,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 58,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,197,824.12. The trade was a 3.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders bought 22,252 shares of company stock worth $1,971,735 and sold 54,211 shares worth $3,950,846. Company insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Greif

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of Greif by 6.5% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 895,344 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,506,000 after acquiring an additional 54,256 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in Greif during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,220,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Greif by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 144,524 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,637,000 after purchasing an additional 13,393 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Greif by 30.6% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 78,173 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,672,000 after buying an additional 18,339 shares during the period. Finally, Inceptionr LLC purchased a new position in shares of Greif during the second quarter valued at approximately $334,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.74% 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.