Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Stock Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE)’s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $15.07 and traded as high as $16.77. Green Plains shares last traded at $16.44, with a volume of 975,472 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on GPRE shares. Zacks Research cut Green Plains from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Stephens upped their target price on Green Plains from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Green Plains from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Green Plains from $12.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $15.43.

Green Plains Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.15 billion, a P/E ratio of -49.82 and a beta of 1.19. 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’s 50-day simple moving average is $15.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.07.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.01) by $0.43. The company had revenue of $445.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $532.53 million. Green Plains had a negative net margin of 0.80% and a positive return on equity of 2.86%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($1.14) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Green Plains, Inc. will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Green Plains

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in Green Plains during the third quarter worth approximately $8,561,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Green Plains by 112.6% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,823,740 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $17,873,000 after buying an additional 966,069 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Green Plains by 155.5% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,114,743 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $18,338,000 after acquiring an additional 678,515 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Green Plains by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,696,401 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $46,025,000 after acquiring an additional 645,170 shares during the period. Finally, Thomist Capital Management LP raised its stake in Green Plains by 619.8% in the 4th quarter. Thomist Capital Management LP now owns 747,192 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $7,270,000 after acquiring an additional 643,392 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.