Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Shares Purchased by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Free Report) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 801,429 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,425 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 1.70% of Greif worth $48,983,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in GEF. Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Greif in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Quest Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Greif by 35.0% in the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 2,257 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $141,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake 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 worth $149,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Greif during the third quarter worth approximately $200,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP grew its position in Greif by 191.4% in the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 3,433 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $215,000 after buying an additional 2,255 shares during the last quarter. 45.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer purchased 1,075 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was bought at an average price of $69.14 per share, with a total value of $74,325.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 165,426 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,437,553.64. This represents a 0.65 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark A. Emkes purchased 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 approximately $2,473,523.73. The trade was a 7.27 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired 5,075 shares of company stock worth $300,496 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on GEF. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Greif from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Truist Financial reissued a "hold" rating and set a $65.00 price target (down from $71.00) on shares of Greif in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Greif from $79.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Greif from $75.00 to $68.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $77.00.

Greif Price Performance

GEF traded up $0.60 on Monday, hitting $55.63. 173,766 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 166,874. Greif, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $53.43 and a fifty-two week high of $73.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.91. The business's fifty day moving average is $59.34 and its 200 day moving average is $62.43.

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

Greif Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.54 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.88%. Greif's dividend payout ratio is presently 61.71%.

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.