Hsbc Holdings PLC Reduces Position in Green Plains, Inc. $GPRE

Hsbc Holdings PLC trimmed its position in Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) by 81.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,092 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 57,716 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Green Plains were worth $215,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPRE. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its position in Green Plains by 170.5% during the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 130,133 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,141,000 after acquiring an additional 82,016 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 155.5% during the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,114,743 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $18,338,000 after purchasing an additional 678,515 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Green Plains by 32.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 880,217 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $8,626,000 after buying an additional 216,875 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in Green Plains in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $100,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in Green Plains in the 4th quarter worth approximately $116,000.

Green Plains Price Performance

NASDAQ:GPRE opened at $16.64 on Tuesday. 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 has a 50 day moving average price of $15.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.29. Green Plains, Inc. has a 1-year low of $7.07 and a 1-year high of $19.65. The firm has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -50.42 and a beta of 1.17.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.42 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $445.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $532.53 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($1.14) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 25.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Green Plains, Inc. will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.