What if you'd held GEF?
A $1,000 investment in Greif Inc. Class A (GEF) at the month-end close of 1996-02 would be worth $12,798 at the close of 2026-08 — +1179.8% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $12,042.
Your scenario
Result
If you'd bought $1,000 at the start of each year
Value of $1,000 invested on January 1 of each year, held to 2026-08, dividends included.
Every year, $1,000 from 1996
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | $1,000 | — |
| 1997 | $1,204 | +20.4% |
| 1998 | $1,064 | -11.6% |
| 1999 | $1,105 | +3.9% |
| 2000 | $1,077 | -2.5% |
| 2001 | $1,270 | +17.9% |
| 2002 | $936 | -26.3% |
| 2003 | $1,430 | +52.8% |
| 2004 | $2,290 | +60.1% |
| 2005 | $2,746 | +19.9% |
| 2006 | $4,990 | +81.7% |
| 2007 | $5,608 | +12.4% |
| 2008 | $2,946 | -47.5% |
| 2009 | $4,929 | +67.3% |
| 2010 | $5,814 | +17.9% |
| 2011 | $4,417 | -24.0% |
| 2012 | $4,481 | +1.5% |
| 2013 | $5,450 | +21.6% |
| 2014 | $5,082 | -6.7% |
| 2015 | $3,476 | -31.6% |
| 2016 | $6,046 | +73.9% |
| 2017 | $7,353 | +21.6% |
| 2018 | $4,656 | -36.7% |
| 2019 | $5,799 | +24.6% |
| 2020 | $6,471 | +11.6% |
| 2021 | $8,580 | +32.6% |
| 2022 | $9,824 | +14.5% |
| 2023 | $9,914 | +0.9% |
| 2024 | $9,554 | -3.6% |
| 2025 | $10,964 | +14.8% |
| 2026 | $13,852 | +26.3% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought GEF was 2003-03 ($4.33): $1,000 then is $19,418 today. The worst was 2026-07 ($87.31): $1,000 then is $963.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in GEF be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Greif Inc. Class A (GEF) at the start of 1996 would be worth about $12,798 today, a total return of +1179.8%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for GEF?
Greif Inc. Class A (GEF)'s strongest calendar year since 1996 was 2006, a +81.7% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,817 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2008, at -47.5%.
Does the calculator include dividends and splits?
Yes where available. Prices are adjusted for both stock splits and reinvested dividends (total return), the same measure brokerages use.
How much would $100 per month in GEF have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1996-02 would have grown to about $202,641 on $36,700 invested.
Did GEF beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $12,042. GEF beat the S&P 500 by +6.3% in total return.
Is this investment advice?
No. Wall Street Regrets is an entertainment and education tool. Every number is a historical calculation, not a prediction, and past performance never guarantees future results.
Methodology
Greif Inc. Class A (GEF) historical total-return data from 1996-02 to 2026-08, reduced to month-end closes for the tables above.
Returns use adjusted close prices — adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends, the same convention used by major brokerages. End-of-day and live prices come from EODHD; parts of the deep historical series are carried over from Yahoo Finance data. A "year" scenario invests $1,000 at the prior December's month-end close and values it at the latest available month-end close. Non-USD amounts are converted at historical month-end exchange rates (EODHD): to USD on the buy date and back to your currency at the latest rate, so the return reflects the currency move as well as the asset.
Month-end resolution means intra-month extremes are not captured in tables; the calculator uses exact trading-day closes where daily data is available. Figures ignore taxes, fees, and the currency effects of non-USD listings. History is not a forecast. Wall Street Regrets is entertainment, not investment advice.
What if you'd held…
Data: adjusted close prices via EODHD and Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08. Not financial advice.