Zacks Research Analysts Lower Earnings Estimates for Greif

Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q4 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Greif in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, August 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $1.12 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.18. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Greif’s current full-year earnings is $4.18 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Greif’s Q1 2027 earnings at $0.72 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $4.15 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $1.05 EPS and Q3 2028 earnings at $1.45 EPS.

Several other analysts have also commented on GEF. Bank of America lowered shares of Greif from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $97.00 price objective (up from $78.00) on shares of Greif in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings raised Greif from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Greif from $74.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Greif from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $83.00.

Greif Stock Performance

NYSE:GEF opened at $87.00 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $77.61 and a 200-day moving average of $71.57. The firm has a market cap of $4.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Greif has a twelve month low of $55.75 and a twelve month high of $90.57.

Greif (NYSE:GEF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.50. Greif had a return on equity of 8.09% and a net margin of 7.53%.The business had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.86 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Greif

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in Greif by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 899,137 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $60,872,000 after acquiring an additional 3,793 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Greif by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 567,333 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,408,000 after acquiring an additional 1,455 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in Greif by 75.5% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 524,603 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,352,000 after acquiring an additional 225,659 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Greif by 119.1% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 325,951 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $22,067,000 after purchasing an additional 177,203 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EVR Research LP acquired a new position in shares of Greif during the 4th quarter worth $11,848,000. Institutional investors own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of Greif stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.06, for a total transaction of $174,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 55,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,860,733.92. This trade represents a 3.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 1,146 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.60, for a total value of $101,535.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,323 shares in the company, valued at $1,889,217.80. This trade represents a 5.10% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 97,987 shares of company stock worth $8,498,748. Insiders own 7.70% of the company’s stock.

Greif Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 17th were given a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 17th. This is a positive change from Greif’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. Greif’s payout ratio is currently 77.74%.

About Greif

Greif, Inc is a global leader in industrial packaging products and services, with a history dating back to its founding in 1877. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the company has evolved from a regional barrel and drum manufacturer into a diversified packaging provider serving a wide range of end markets. Greif’s longstanding heritage in container solutions has positioned it as a trusted partner for customers seeking reliable, high-quality packaging options.

The company’s core business revolves around the design, manufacture and sale of industrial packaging products, including steel, plastic and fiber drums; intermediate bulk containers (IBCs); safety closures; rigid, flexible and reconditioned packaging; containerboard and protective packaging.