Gevo (NASDAQ:GEVO) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Shares of Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ:GEVO) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $2.39, but opened at $2.54. Gevo shares last traded at $2.4060, with a volume of 937,764 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GEVO has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Gevo from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Gevo in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Northland Securities restated an “outperform” rating and set a $3.00 target price on shares of Gevo in a report on Wednesday, December 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Gevo presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $6.42.

Gevo Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $2.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $2.12. The company has a market capitalization of $574.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.27 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.82.

Gevo (NASDAQ:GEVO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The energy company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.01. Gevo had a negative return on equity of 7.20% and a negative net margin of 21.07%.The firm had revenue of $45.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $43.52 million. Analysts expect that Gevo, Inc. will post -0.42 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Gevo

In other news, Director Gary W. Mize sold 107,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.33, for a total transaction of $249,543.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 281,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $655,256.58. This represents a 27.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Lindsay Clinton Fitzgerald sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.51, for a total value of $50,200.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 212,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $532,619.49. The trade was a 8.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 137,650 shares of company stock worth $321,959. Insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Gevo

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Gevo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Berger Financial Group Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Gevo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Gevo by 138.1% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 20,927 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 12,136 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new stake in Gevo during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Gevo during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 35.17% of the company’s stock.

About Gevo

Gevo, Inc (NASDAQ: GEVO) is a renewable chemicals and biofuels company that develops and produces low-carbon alternatives to petroleum-based products. The company’s core technology platform converts fermentable sugars into isobutanol, which can be further processed into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), renewable gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Gevo’s integrated biorefinery model combines fermentation, recovery, and downstream processing to deliver scalable, drop-in replacements for conventional fossil-derived hydrocarbons.

Gevo’s primary products include isobutanol, a four-carbon alcohol used as a building block for various fuels and chemicals, and hydrocarbon fuels that meet ASTM specifications for aviation and road transport.