Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the nine analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $15.4286.

A number of research firms have recently commented on GPRE. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Green Plains from $12.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Stephens raised their target price on Green Plains from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Zacks Research lowered Green Plains from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Green Plains from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th.

Green Plains Trading Up 0.6%

Green Plains stock opened at $17.77 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The company has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -53.85 and a beta of 1.19. Green Plains has a one year low of $7.07 and a one year high of $19.65. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $15.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.92.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.01) by $0.43. Green Plains had a positive return on equity of 2.86% and a negative net margin of 0.80%.The company had revenue of $445.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $532.53 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($1.14) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 25.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Green Plains will post 2.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Green Plains by 32.8% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 39,520 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $650,000 after buying an additional 9,766 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Green Plains by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 52,798 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $869,000 after acquiring an additional 2,426 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Green Plains in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,166,000. Bank of Nova Scotia acquired a new stake in shares of Green Plains during the 1st quarter worth approximately $456,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its position in shares of Green Plains by 126.2% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 50,928 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $838,000 after purchasing an additional 28,418 shares during the period.

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.