Foundry Partners LLC Makes New Investment in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF)

Foundry Partners LLC bought a new position in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 7,326 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $448,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Greif by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,966 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Greif by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,541 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $342,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Greif in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Greif by 28.2% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,444 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $149,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Greif by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 69,900 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,272,000 after purchasing an additional 653 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 45.74% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GEF has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Greif from $75.00 to $68.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $65.00 price objective (down previously from $71.00) on shares of Greif in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Greif from $79.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Greif from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $77.00.

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Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mark A. Emkes bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $55.89 per share, with a total value of $167,670.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 44,257 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,473,523.73. This represents a 7.27 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP David C. Lloyd sold 2,263 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total transaction of $125,008.12. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 7,580 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $418,719.20. This represents a 22.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Greif Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GEF traded up $1.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $52.03. 118,572 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 172,387. The company's 50 day moving average price is $56.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.45. The firm has a market cap of $2.47 billion, a PE ratio of 11.51, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.91. Greif, Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.23 and a 52 week high of $73.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Greif (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The industrial products company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by ($0.33). Greif had a return on equity of 11.84% and a net margin of 4.81%. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.26 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.15%. Greif's dividend payout ratio is presently 61.71%.

Greif Company Profile

Greif, Inc engages in the production and sale of industrial packaging products and services worldwide. The company operates through Global Industrial Packaging; Paper Packaging & Services; and Land Management segments. The Global Industrial Packaging segment produces and sells industrial packaging products, including steel, fiber, and plastic drums; rigid and flexible intermediate bulk containers; closure systems for industrial packaging products; transit protection products; water bottles, and remanufactured and reconditioned industrial containers; and various services, such as container life cycle management, filling, logistics, warehousing, and other packaging services to chemicals, paints and pigments, food and beverage, petroleum, industrial coatings, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, mineral product, and other industries.