Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Outlook for Greif Earnings

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) – Zacks Research lowered their Q2 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Greif in a research report issued on Wednesday, March 19th. Zacks Research analyst M. Das now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings of $1.09 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.15. The consensus estimate for Greif’s current full-year earnings is $4.11 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Greif’s FY2025 earnings at $3.70 EPS.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last released its 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 the consensus estimate of $1.26 billion. Greif had a return on equity of 11.84% and a net margin of 4.81%.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on GEF. Robert W. Baird lowered 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Greif from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Greif from $79.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and set a $65.00 price target (down previously from $71.00) on shares of Greif in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.00.

Greif Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GEF opened at $56.25 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The stock has a market cap of $2.67 billion, a PE ratio of 12.45, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.91. The company’s fifty day moving average is $59.39 and its 200 day moving average is $62.45. Greif has a 52 week low of $53.43 and a 52 week high of $73.16.

Institutional Trading of Greif

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GEF. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in Greif by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 801,429 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $48,983,000 after acquiring an additional 17,425 shares in the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. bought a new position in Greif in the 4th quarter worth about $46,279,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Greif by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 568,725 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $34,760,000 after purchasing an additional 44,088 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Greif by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 535,932 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,756,000 after purchasing an additional 11,210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP raised its holdings in Greif by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 310,236 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $18,962,000 after buying an additional 7,684 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Greif news, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer bought 1,075 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $69.14 per share, for a total transaction of $74,325.50. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 165,426 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,437,553.64. This represents a 0.65 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Mark A. Emkes purchased 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $55.89 per share, with a total value of $167,670.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 44,257 shares in the company, valued at $2,473,523.73. This represents a 7.27 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have bought 6,175 shares of company stock worth $374,867. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Greif Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.84%. Greif’s payout ratio is 61.71%.

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.