New York State Teachers Retirement System Lowers Holdings in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF)

New York State Teachers Retirement System cut its position in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 42,028 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,300 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Greif were worth $2,569,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Greif by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,541 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $342,000 after buying an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Greif by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC now owns 30,684 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,875,000 after buying an additional 4,036 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Greif in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lifted its holdings in shares of Greif by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 22,578 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,380,000 after acquiring an additional 1,832 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Greif by 26.6% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 5,133 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 1,077 shares in the last quarter. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Greif

In other Greif news, Director B Andrew Rose acquired 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $70.20 per share, with a total value of $245,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $245,700. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer acquired 550 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $67.88 per share, for a total transaction of $37,334.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 162,151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,006,809.88. The trade was a 0.34 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired 6,225 shares of company stock valued at $431,731 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Greif Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of Greif stock opened at $59.93 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.26, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $61.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $63.07. Greif, Inc. has a 12-month low of $55.95 and a 12-month high of $73.16.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last posted 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). The firm had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 11.84% and a net margin of 4.81%. Greif’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.56 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.54 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Greif from $79.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Sidoti began coverage on Greif in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Greif from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Greif from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.33.

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.