Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the nine brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $14.2857.

GPRE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Green Plains from $7.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Stephens upped their target price on Green Plains from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of Green Plains in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Green Plains

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in Green Plains during the second quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Green Plains in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $67,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Green Plains during the 3rd quarter valued at $95,000. Marex Group plc bought a new stake in shares of Green Plains during the 4th quarter worth $98,000. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Green Plains during the 4th quarter worth $98,000.

Green Plains Stock Down 0.1%

GPRE opened at $16.14 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $16.23 and a 200 day moving average of $13.39. The company has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a PE ratio of -48.91 and a beta of 1.19. Green Plains has a 12 month low of $3.97 and a 12 month high of $18.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. Green Plains’s revenue for the quarter was down 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($1.14) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Green Plains will post 2.1 EPS for the current 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.