Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Holdings Cut by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans reduced its stake in shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF – Get Rating) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,820 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 228 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Greif were worth $457,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Greif by 6.2% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 209,086 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,604,000 after purchasing an additional 12,119 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Greif by 16.8% in the first quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 202,618 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,183,000 after buying an additional 29,187 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its position in Greif by 7.6% during the first quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 109,107 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,099,000 after acquiring an additional 7,730 shares in the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC lifted its stake in Greif by 244.7% in the third quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 101,578 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,051,000 after acquiring an additional 72,106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Greif by 52.8% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 99,060 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,445,000 after acquiring an additional 34,220 shares in the last quarter. 47.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer bought 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 15th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $69.45 per share, with a total value of $208,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 101,892 shares in the company, valued at $7,076,399.40. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Greif news, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer purchased 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 15th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $69.45 per share, for a total transaction of $208,350.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 101,892 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,076,399.40. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer acquired 3,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $69.40 per share, with a total value of $249,840.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now owns 108,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,564,044.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders purchased 8,437 shares of company stock valued at $578,287. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Greif from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $72.00.

Greif Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:GEF opened at $61.39 on Friday. Greif, Inc. has a 52-week low of $57.10 and a 52-week high of $74.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.67. The company has a market cap of $2.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.96. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $62.28 and its 200-day moving average is $66.62.

Greif (NYSE:GEF – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 1st. The industrial products company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.20). Greif had a return on equity of 25.66% and a net margin of 7.53%. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.28 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Greif, Inc. will post 5.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Greif Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 16th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.26%. Greif’s payout ratio is 26.11%.

Greif Profile

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Greif, Inc engages in the production of industrial packaging products and services. It operates through the following segments: Global Industrial Packaging, Paper Packaging & Services, and Land Management. The Global Industrial Packaging segment involves the production of industrial packaging products, such as steel, fiber & plastic drums, rigid & flexible intermediate bulk containers, closure systems for industrial packaging products, transit protection products, water bottles, and remanufactured & reconditioned industrial containers.