Bfsg LLC Invests $176,000 in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF)

Bfsg LLC bought a new position in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,680 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $176,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Meritage Portfolio Management grew its holdings in Greif by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 3,423 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Greif by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,445 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $297,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in Greif by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 4,600 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $310,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Greif by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,921 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $329,000 after buying an additional 223 shares during the period. Finally, Investors Research Corp increased its holdings in Greif by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 11,150 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $745,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Greif Price Performance

GEF stock traded down $0.87 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $61.48. The stock had a trading volume of 22,697 shares, compared to its average volume of 169,664. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $64.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $2.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.87. Greif, Inc. has a 52-week low of $59.37 and a 52-week high of $76.00.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $1.07. The business had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.26 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 18.65% and a net margin of 6.53%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.06 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Greif, Inc. will post 4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Greif Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 18th were given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 15th. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Greif

In related news, VP Gary R. Martz acquired 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $68.98 per share, with a total value of $275,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 17,018 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,173,901.64. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Greif news, VP Gary R. Martz bought 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $68.98 per share, for a total transaction of $275,920.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president now directly owns 17,018 shares in the company, valued at $1,173,901.64. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Ole G. Rosgaard acquired 4,705 shares of Greif stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $67.00 per share, with a total value of $315,235.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 4,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $315,235. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders bought 42,934 shares of company stock valued at $2,864,352 and sold 6,000 shares valued at $384,620. 3.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on GEF. StockNews.com raised shares of Greif from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Greif from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $64.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Greif in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $71.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Greif has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.25.

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.