Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the seven research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $78.67.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GEF. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Greif from $77.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Greif from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $88.00 target price on shares of Greif in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Truist Financial restated a "hold" rating and issued a $67.00 price target (down from $69.00) on shares of Greif in a report on Friday, August 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Greif from $80.00 to $76.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 26th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Greif

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Greif by 3.2% during the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,195 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its holdings in shares of Greif by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 3,068 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $192,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of Greif by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 4,049 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $233,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Greif by 71.9% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 545 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cadence Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Greif by 11.1% during the second quarter. Cadence Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,460 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $256,000 after buying an additional 444 shares during the period. 45.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Greif Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE GEF traded down $0.19 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $65.88. 207,748 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 169,119. Greif has a 52 week low of $55.95 and a 52 week high of $73.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $66.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.19. The stock has a market cap of $3.11 billion, a PE ratio of 14.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.92.

Greif (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.23). The company had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.41 billion. Greif had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 11.85%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.56 EPS. Analysts forecast that Greif will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.54 per share. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. Greif's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.79%.

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.