Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Stock Rating Upgraded by Stephens

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) was upgraded by Stephens from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report issued on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $17.00 price objective on the specialty chemicals company’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $10.00. Stephens’ target price points to a potential upside of 15.41% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on GPRE. UBS Group increased their target price on Green Plains from $7.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Green Plains from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Green Plains from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Roth Mkm lowered shares of Green Plains from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $10.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Green Plains has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.22.

Green Plains Stock Up 3.2%

GPRE stock opened at $14.73 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $1.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.79, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.54. Green Plains has a 1-year low of $3.14 and a 1-year high of $15.07. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $10.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.24.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.10. Green Plains had a negative net margin of 5.80% and a negative return on equity of 8.70%. The business had revenue of $428.85 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $536.56 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.86) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Green Plains will post -0.5 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Green Plains by 192.2% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,547 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 2,991 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Green Plains in the 3rd quarter worth about $67,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Green Plains during the 2nd quarter worth about $61,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in Green Plains by 19.0% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,122 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 1,619 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Green Plains in the third quarter worth about $95,000.

Green Plains Company Profile

Green Plains Inc is a leading producer of fuel-grade ethanol and related co-products in the United States. Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, the company operates an integrated network of biorefineries that convert corn and other grains into renewable fuels. Through its production facilities, Green Plains supplies ethanol to domestic fuel markets and export channels, supporting efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote cleaner-burning transportation options.

Beyond ethanol, Green Plains manufactures a range of co-products that add value throughout the agricultural supply chain.