Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Shares Up 5.6% – Here’s Why

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) shares rose 5.6% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $16.34 and last traded at $16.69. 63,292 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 96% from the average session volume of 1,528,324 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.80.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on GPRE shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Green Plains from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Green Plains from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Stephens increased 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. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 target price on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.29.

Green Plains Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -50.63 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $15.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last posted 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. Green Plains had a positive return on equity of 2.86% and a negative net margin of 0.80%.The business had revenue of $445.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $532.53 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($1.14) earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 25.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Green Plains, Inc. will post 2.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Green Plains

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

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.