Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $43.32 Million Holdings in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Free Report) by 59.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 753,812 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 280,330 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 1.60% of Greif worth $43,321,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of GEF. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Greif in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $64,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its holdings in shares of Greif by 80.5% during the second quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 1,258 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 561 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Greif during the second quarter valued at about $80,000. Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Greif by 27,766.7% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,672 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 1,666 shares during the period. Finally, TFO Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Greif by 162,700.0% in the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,628 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 1,627 shares during the period. 45.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Greif Stock Performance

GEF traded down $0.46 during trading on Monday, reaching $62.47. 98,241 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 165,518. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $61.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.59. The company has a market capitalization of $2.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.43 and a beta of 0.91. Greif, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $55.95 and a fifty-two week high of $71.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35.

Greif (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.17 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $1.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.43 billion. Greif had a net margin of 4.99% and a return on equity of 13.28%. As a group, analysts predict that Greif, Inc. will post 4.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Greif Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be paid a $0.54 dividend. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. This is an increase from Greif's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Greif's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on GEF. StockNews.com lowered shares of Greif from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a "buy" rating and issued a $88.00 target price on shares of Greif in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Greif from $77.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 30th. Raymond James began coverage on Greif in a research note on Friday, July 19th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Greif from $80.00 to $76.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $76.00.

Greif 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.