Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer Purchases 1,100 Shares

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer acquired 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $67.61 per share, for a total transaction of $74,371.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 163,251 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,037,400.11. The trade was a 0.68 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Greif Stock Up 1.0 %

GEF stock traded up $0.64 during trading on Thursday, hitting $61.80. 211,178 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 172,273. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.67, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.92. Greif, Inc. has a 52-week low of $55.95 and a 52-week high of $73.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $66.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.11.

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

Greif Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.54 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.50%. Greif's payout ratio is 47.79%.

Institutional Trading of Greif

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Greif by 3.2% in the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,195 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in 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 worth $192,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its position in 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 worth $233,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Greif by 71.9% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 545 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the period. Finally, Cadence Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Greif by 11.1% in the second quarter. Cadence Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,460 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 444 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.74% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on GEF shares. Truist Financial reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $67.00 price target (down from $69.00) on shares of Greif in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Sidoti started coverage on Greif in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $93.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Greif from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Greif from $77.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $78.67.

About Greif

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.