CenterBook Partners LP Makes New Investment in Green Plains, Inc. $GPRE

CenterBook Partners LP purchased a new position in Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 461,356 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,521,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in Green Plains by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 687,385 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $6,736,000 after purchasing an additional 101,897 shares during the last quarter. One Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Green Plains in the fourth quarter worth $2,361,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in 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 worth $17,873,000 after purchasing an additional 966,069 shares during the last quarter. Future Fund LLC bought a new stake in Green Plains in the fourth quarter worth $2,361,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Green Plains by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,672,225 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $16,392,000 after purchasing an additional 93,950 shares during the last quarter.

Green Plains Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GPRE opened at $14.91 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -45.18 and a beta of 1.19. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $16.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.58. Green Plains, Inc. has a 52-week low of $4.11 and a 52-week high of $18.94.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $445.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $532.53 million. During the same period last year, the company posted ($1.14) EPS. The business’s revenue was down 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Green Plains, Inc. will post 2.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GPRE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of Green Plains from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Green Plains from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Green Plains from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $20.00 price objective on shares of Green Plains in a report on Friday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.29.

Green Plains 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.