Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Sets New 1-Year High on Analyst Upgrade

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Saturday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $12.00 to $20.00. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Green Plains traded as high as $19.65 and last traded at $19.23, with a volume of 5146703 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.21.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on GPRE. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Green Plains in a report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Green Plains from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Green Plains from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of Green Plains from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.43.

Institutional Trading of Green Plains

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GPRE. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Green Plains by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 34,606 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $339,000 after acquiring an additional 1,095 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Green Plains by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,936 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $175,000 after acquiring an additional 1,128 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of Green Plains by 1.3% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 100,159 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $604,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Green Plains by 11.7% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 12,275 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $120,000 after purchasing an additional 1,290 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP raised its stake in Green Plains by 22.9% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 9,304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 1,736 shares during the last quarter.

Green Plains Trading Up 11.7%

The company has a 50 day moving average of $15.79 and a 200 day moving average of $14.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -58.27 and a beta of 1.19.

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

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.