Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Forecast for Greif Earnings

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Greif in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, December 24th. Zacks Research analyst M. Das now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings of $0.75 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.69. The consensus estimate for Greif's current full-year earnings is $4.49 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Greif's Q2 2025 earnings at $1.19 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.36 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.21 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.33 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.46 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $1.35 EPS.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on GEF. Truist Financial reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $67.00 target price (down previously from $69.00) on shares of Greif in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Sidoti initiated coverage on shares of Greif in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $93.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Greif from $77.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Greif from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $78.67.

Greif Price Performance

NYSE:GEF traded down $0.54 on Friday, reaching $61.26. 201,262 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 172,389. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.12. Greif has a 12 month low of $55.95 and a 12 month high of $73.16. The firm has a market cap of $2.89 billion, a PE ratio of 13.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

Greif (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($0.23). Greif had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 4.81%. The firm had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.41 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.56 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Greif Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.53%. Greif's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.79%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer acquired 550 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $67.88 per share, with a total value of $37,334.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 162,151 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,006,809.88. This trade represents a 0.34 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director B Andrew Rose bought 3,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $70.20 per share, for a total transaction of $245,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $245,700. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired 6,225 shares of company stock valued at $431,731 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 3.07% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Greif

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of Greif by 71.9% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 545 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Greif during the 2nd quarter valued at $64,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its position in Greif by 80.5% in the 2nd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 1,258 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 561 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Greif in the second quarter worth $80,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC increased its stake 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. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.