Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Boosts Stake in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 801,429 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 17,425 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 1.70% of Greif worth $48,983,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in GEF. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Greif in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position 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 worth $141,000 after buying an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Greif by 28.2% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,444 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $149,000 after buying an additional 537 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Greif in the third quarter worth about $200,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its position in shares of Greif by 191.4% in the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 3,433 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $215,000 after buying an additional 2,255 shares in the last quarter. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Greif Trading Up 1.0 %

GEF opened at $56.52 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $2.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.91. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $59.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.50. Greif, Inc. has a one year low of $53.43 and a one year 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.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The industrial products company reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by ($0.33). The business had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.26 billion. Greif had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 11.84%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Greif, Inc. will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Greif Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.54 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.82%. Greif’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GEF has been the topic of several analyst reports. Sidoti initiated coverage on Greif in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and set a $65.00 price objective (down from $71.00) on shares of Greif in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Greif from $75.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Greif from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on Greif from $79.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer acquired 550 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $67.88 per share, with a total value of $37,334.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 162,151 shares in the company, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director B Andrew Rose acquired 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $70.20 per share, for a total transaction of $245,700.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $245,700. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought a total of 10,225 shares of company stock valued at $657,901 over the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Greif Company 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.