NOTE 14 — EARNINGS PER SHARE

The Company has two classes of common stock and, as such, applies the “two-class method” of computing earnings per share (“EPS”) as prescribed in ASC 260, “Earnings Per Share.” In accordance with this guidance, earnings are allocated first to Class A and Class B Common Stock to the extent that dividends are actually paid and the remainder allocated assuming all of the earnings for the period have been distributed in the form of dividends.

The Company calculates Class A EPS as follows: (i) multiply 40 percent times the average Class A shares outstanding, then divide that amount by the product of 40 percent of the average Class A shares outstanding plus 60 percent of the average Class B shares outstanding to get a percentage, (ii) undistributed net income divided by the average Class A shares outstanding, (iii) multiply item (i) by item (ii), (iv) add item (iii) to the Class A cash dividend per share. Diluted shares are factored into the Class A calculation.

The Company calculates Class B EPS as follows: (i) multiply 60 percent times the average Class B shares outstanding, then divide that amount by the product of 40 percent of the average Class A shares outstanding plus 60 percent of the average Class B shares outstanding to get a percentage, (ii) undistributed net income divided by the average Class B shares outstanding, (iii) multiply item (i) by item (ii), (iv) add item (iii) to the Class B cash dividend per share. Class B diluted EPS is identical to Class B basic EPS.

The following table provides EPS information for each period, respectively:


	Three months ended
	January 31,
	2015		2014

Numerator for basic and diluted EPS
Net income attributable to Greif, Inc.	$	30.1	$	30.7
Cash dividends		24.5		24.4

Undistributed net income attributable to Greif, Inc.	$	5.6	$	6.3

Class A Common Stock is entitled to cumulative dividends of one cent a share per year after which Class B Common Stock is entitled to non-cumulative dividends up to a half-cent a share per year. Further distribution in any year must be made in proportion of one cent a share for Class A Common Stock to one and a half cents a share for Class B Common Stock. The Class A Common Stock has no voting rights unless four quarterly cumulative dividends upon the Class A Common Stock are in arrears. The Class B Common Stock has full voting rights. There is no cumulative voting for the election of directors.

Common stock repurchases

The Company’s Board of Directors has authorized the purchase of up to four million shares of Class A Common Stock or Class B Common Stock or any combination of the foregoing. During the three months ended January 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company repurchased no shares of Class A or Class B Common Stock, respectively. As of January 31, 2015, the Company had repurchased 3,184,272 shares, including 1,425,452 shares of Class A Common Stock and 1,758,820 shares of Class B Common Stock, under this program, all of which were repurchased in prior years. There were no shares repurchased from November 1, 2013 through January 31, 2015.

The following table summarizes the Company’s Class A and Class B common and treasury shares as of the specified dates:


	Authorized Shares		Issued Shares		Outstanding Shares		Treasury Shares
January 31, 2015:
Class A Common Stock		128,000,000		42,281,920		25,674,004		16,607,916
Class B Common Stock		69,120,000		34,560,000		22,119,966		12,440,034
October 31, 2014:
Class A Common Stock		128,000,000		42,281,920		25,603,452		16,678,468
Class B Common Stock		69,120,000		34,560,000		22,119,966		12,440,034

The following is a reconciliation of the shares used to calculate basic and diluted earnings per share:


	Three months ended
	January 31,
	2015		2014
Class A Common Stock:
Basic shares		25,607,886		25,470,354
Assumed conversion of stock options		9,928		25,288

Diluted shares		25,617,814		25,495,642


Class B Common Stock:
Basic and diluted shares		22,119,966		22,119,966

No stock options were antidilutive for the three month period ended January 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.