DELAWARE, Ohio (News release) -- Greif, Inc., a global leader in industrial packaging products and services, has announced fiscal third quarter 2026 results.

On June 30, 2025, we entered into a definitive agreement to divest our Containerboard Business, including our CorrChoice sheet feeder system. Beginning in the third quarter of fiscal 2025, the Containerboard Business has been reported as discontinued operations. Unless otherwise noted, all financial results and discussions in this press release relate to continuing operations. Additional information regarding the basis of presentation and changes in reportable segments is provided under "Basis of Presentation and Comparability".

Fiscal Third Quarter 2026 Financial Highlights:
(all current period results are compared to the third quarter of 2025 and both periods reflect only continuing operations unless otherwise noted)

  • Net income increased 156.7% to $78.8 million or $1.37 per diluted Class A share compared to net income of $30.7 million or $0.53 per diluted Class A share.

  • Net income, excluding the impact of adjustments(1), increased 87.0% to $93.3 million or $1.61 per diluted Class A share compared to net income, excluding the impact of adjustments, of $49.9 million or $0.86 per diluted Class A share.

  • Adjusted EBITDA(2) increased 24.7% to $183.4 million compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $147.1 million.

  • Net cash provided by operating activities decreased by $69.3 million to a source of $77.8 million. Adjusted free cash flow(3) decreased by $86.7 million to a source of $57.7 million. Adjusted free cash flow in the prior year includes contribution from the Containerboard Business and is not directly comparable to current year results.

  • Total debt of $1,030.4 million decreased by $1,686.6 million primarily due to repayment of debt from the sales of the Containerboard Business and the timberlands business. Net debt(4) decreased by $1,689.9 million to $741.9 million. Our leverage ratio(5) decreased to 1.1x from 3.1x.

Strategic Actions and Announcements

  • Increased quarterly dividend by 10.7%, reflecting the continued strength of our free cash flow generation, the significant progress we have made in strengthening our balance sheet, and our confidence in Greif's long-term earnings power.

  • Announcing intention to begin executing on share repurchases under our existing share repurchase authorizations as part of our disciplined capital allocation strategy.

  • Achieved $90 million cumulative run-rate savings on cost optimization program - achieving the high-end of our commitment range for the fiscal year, and reaffirmed our expectation to achieve at least $120 million of cumulative run-rate savings by the end of fiscal year 2027.

  • Completed growth-enabling strategic, bolt-on acquisition of Envaplast on June 2, 2026. The acquisition serves predominantly the Agrochemical end markets and has EBITDA margins and Free Cash Flow conversion well above Greif's M&A criteria.

Commentary from CEO Ole Rosgaard

"Our third quarter results demonstrate that Greif continues to become a stronger company despite a challenging industrial environment. Industrial demand remains subdued, geopolitical uncertainty continues to create volatility, and we have yet to see compelling evidence of a broad recovery. Our agenda, however, has not changed. We are not waiting for the cycle to improve. We are improving Greif everywhere.

Our performance reflects disciplined execution, operational excellence, and thoughtful capital allocation. During the quarter, we expanded margins, strengthened our balance sheet, increased our dividend, continued optimizing our cost structure, and completed another attractive bolt-on acquisition. These results were earned through disciplined execution and the commitment of our colleagues around the world.

Our strategy is straightforward. We are building a higher-quality company by continuously improving our operations, investing with discipline, and allocating capital where it creates the greatest long-term value. Every decision we make is intended to increase our earnings power, strengthen our competitive position, and enhance our ability to create value through every stage of the industrial cycle.

We cannot predict when the cycle will turn. We can decide how prepared Greif will be when it does. Every quarter, we are becoming a more resilient, more efficient, and more valuable company. We believe that positions Greif to deliver superior long-term returns for our shareholders."

(1)

Adjustments that are excluded from net income and from earnings per diluted Class A share are acquisition and integration related costs, restructuring and other charges, non-cash asset impairment charges, non-cash pension settlement charges, (gain) loss on disposal of properties, plants and equipment, net, (gain) loss on disposal of businesses, net, and other costs.

(2)

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income, plus interest expense, net, plus non-cash pension settlement charges, plus other (income) expense, net, plus income tax (benefit) expense, plus depreciation, depletion and amortization expense, plus acquisition and integration related costs, plus restructuring and other charges, plus non-cash asset impairment charges, plus (gain) loss on disposal of properties, plants and equipment, net, plus (gain) loss on disposal of businesses, net, plus other costs.

(3)

Adjusted free cash flow is defined as net cash provided by operating activities, less cash paid for purchases of properties, plants and equipment, plus cash paid for acquisition and integration related costs, plus cash paid for integration related Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and equipment, plus cash paid for taxes related to Containerboard Business divestment, plus cash paid for taxes related to Soterra Assets divestment, plus cash paid for other nonrecurring costs. The cash flows from Containerboard Business have not been segregated and are included within the adjusted free cash flow for comparative period.

(4)

Net debt is defined as total debt less cash and cash equivalents.

(5)

Leverage ratio for the periods indicated is defined as adjusted net debt divided by trailing twelve month EBITDA, each as calculated under the terms of the Company's Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of February 27, 2026, filed separately as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K on March 5, 2026 (the "2026 Credit Agreement"). As calculated under the 2026 Credit Agreement, adjusted net debt was $668.0 million and $2,382.2 million as of June 30, 2026 and July 31, 2025 respectively, and trailing twelve month credit agreement EBITDA was $621.6 million and $771.5 million as of June 30, 2026 and July 31, 2025, respectively.

Note: A reconciliation of the differences between all non-GAAP financial measures used in this release with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is included in the financial schedules that are a part of this release. These non-GAAP financial measures are intended to supplement, and should be read together with, our financial results. They should not be considered an alternative or substitute for, and should not be considered superior to, our reported financial results. Accordingly, users of this financial information should not place undue reliance on these non-GAAP financial measures.

Basis of Presentation and Comparability
On June 30, 2025, we entered into a definitive agreement to divest our Containerboard Business, including our CorrChoice sheet feeder system, in an all-cash transaction for $1.8 billion to Packaging Corporation of America. Beginning in the third quarter of 2025, the Containerboard Business was reported as discontinued operations. The transaction closed as of August 31, 2025.

Effective October 1, 2025, our Integrated Solutions reportable segment was renamed Innovative Closure Solutions. Additionally, activities related to the purchase and sale of recycled fiber and the production and sale of adhesives used in paperboard products, which were previously reported within the Integrated Solutions reportable segment, are now reported within the Sustainable Fiber Solutions reportable segment. Likewise, activities related to production and sale of complimentary packaging products and services such as paints, linings and filling, that are used in or relate to our steel products and were previously reported within the Integrated Solutions reportable segment, are now reported within the Durable Metal Solutions reportable segment.