Greif Stock Price, News & Analysis
Company Description
Greif, Inc. (NYSE: GEF, GEF.B) is described in its public communications as a global leader in industrial and performance packaging. Founded in 1877, the company focuses on packaging products and services that support what it calls some of the world’s most demanding and fastest-growing industries. Greif notes that it is located in 40 countries and that it "packages life’s essentials" while seeking to create lasting value for colleagues, customers and other stakeholders.
Greif’s business centers on industrial packaging products and related services. According to company disclosures, it produces steel, plastic and fibre drums, intermediate bulk containers, reconditioned containers, jerrycans and other small plastics, containerboard, corrugated sheets and products, uncoated recycled paperboard, coated recycled paperboard, tubes and cores and a mix of specialty products. The company also manufactures packaging accessories and provides other packaging-related services for a wide range of industries.
In addition to these product lines, Greif has described itself as a global leader in performance packaging with four solution areas: Customized Polymer, Sustainable Fiber, Durable Metal and Integrated Solutions. These solution areas are also used as segment labels in its financial reporting, where the company discusses net sales, gross profit, operating profit and Adjusted EBITDA for Customized Polymer Solutions, Durable Metal Solutions, Sustainable Fiber Solutions and Integrated Solutions. These segments reflect how Greif organizes its packaging offerings by material and service focus.
Greif has also historically operated in paper-based and land-related activities. In its public dividend disclosure, the company states that it produces containerboard, corrugated sheets and products, uncoated and coated recycled paperboard, tubes and cores and specialty products. It also states that it manages timber properties in the southeastern United States. Subsequent news and SEC filings report portfolio changes, including the divestiture of its containerboard business and the sale of its timberlands business, which are described as discontinued operations or asset sales in its financial and transaction announcements.
Greif’s securities trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols GEF and GEF.B. The company repeatedly emphasizes its global footprint, stating that it operates in dozens of countries and has more than 250 facilities in 37 countries in earlier communications, and that it is a global leader in performance packaging located in 40 countries in more recent releases. Its disclosures highlight a focus on customer service, operational excellence, and global sustainability as core themes in how it positions its packaging offerings.
Recent communications also describe the company’s capital allocation and portfolio management approach. Greif has announced the completion of the sale of its containerboard business, including its CorrChoice sheet feeder network, to Packaging Corporation of America under a purchase and sale agreement, and the completion of the sale of its timberlands business to Molpus Woodlands Group. In its earnings releases, the company presents these divested operations as discontinued and focuses its continuing operations reporting on the Customized Polymer, Durable Metal, Sustainable Fiber and Integrated Solutions segments.
Greif’s financial communications make frequent use of non-GAAP measures such as Adjusted EBITDA, Combined Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted free cash flow, net debt and leverage ratio, which it explains in earnings releases and related 8-K filings. Management states that these measures are used to evaluate ongoing operations and to compare performance over time, and that reconciliations to GAAP measures are provided in financial schedules attached to its releases.
From a governance perspective, Greif files definitive proxy statements (DEF 14A) that describe, among other things, compensation for its principal executive officer and other named executive officers, including equity awards and pension-related adjustments. The company also reports changes in senior leadership roles, such as the appointment of a new Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary and the planned retirement of the prior General Counsel, through Form 8-K filings and accompanying press releases.
Greif communicates regularly with investors through quarterly and annual earnings releases and conference calls. It announces the timing of these events in advance, noting that it will release financial results after market close and then host a conference call with prepared remarks and a question-and-answer session. The company also provides slide presentations alongside its earnings releases and makes digital replays of its conference calls available through its investor relations channels.
Business Segments and Solutions
In its segment reporting, Greif describes four primary solution areas:
- Customized Polymer Solutions – A segment where the company reports net sales, gross profit, operating profit and Adjusted EBITDA, and which is associated with polymer-based packaging offerings.
- Durable Metal Solutions – A segment focused on metal-based packaging, for which Greif reports financial performance and discusses factors such as volumes, selling prices, product mix, raw material costs and foreign currency impacts.
- Sustainable Fiber Solutions – A fiber-based segment where the company references published boxboard and containerboard prices, volumes, raw material and manufacturing costs, and restructuring and impairment charges in its earnings discussions.
- Integrated Solutions – A segment that includes certain services and businesses, and where Greif has discussed the impact of prior divestitures, such as the Delta Petroleum divestiture, on net sales and profitability.
These segments illustrate how Greif organizes its industrial and performance packaging offerings by material type and solution orientation, and how it reports performance drivers such as volume, pricing, product mix, currency translation and cost structure.
Strategic Portfolio Actions
Greif’s recent filings and press releases describe notable portfolio actions. The company entered into and then completed a purchase and sale agreement to divest its containerboard business, including containerboard mills and a sheet feeder network, to Packaging Corporation of America for a stated purchase price subject to adjustments. It also entered into and completed a purchase and sale agreement to divest approximately 173,000 acres of timberland, along with certain mineral and contract rights, to an affiliate of Molpus Woodlands Group for a stated purchase price subject to adjustments. These transactions are described as part of Greif’s focus on return on invested capital, capital efficiency, debt reduction and portfolio shaping.
In connection with these actions, Greif’s earnings releases discuss the presentation of the containerboard business as discontinued operations, the impact on net income from continuing and discontinued operations, and the effect of divestiture-related gains and tax items. The company also references cost optimization initiatives, including targeted run-rate savings and adjustments to those targets as progress is achieved.
Capital Allocation and Dividends
Greif’s Board of Directors declares quarterly cash dividends on its Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock, as disclosed in multiple press releases and 8-K filings. The company links regular dividend payments to its capital allocation framework and notes that it seeks to balance shareholder returns with reinvestment in the business. It has also referenced plans for open market share repurchases utilizing existing authorization, as described in its fiscal 2025 results release.
Investor Communications and Non-GAAP Measures
Through its Form 8-K filings, Greif explains the use of non-GAAP financial measures in its earnings releases. It states that measures such as consolidated Adjusted EBITDA, Combined Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted free cash flow and net debt are used by management to evaluate ongoing operations and to facilitate comparisons across periods. The company notes that these measures should be considered together with GAAP results and that reconciliations are provided in accompanying financial schedules.