Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Stock Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $13.79 and traded as high as $14.88. Green Plains shares last traded at $14.80, with a volume of 1,445,542 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on GPRE. Wall Street Zen raised Green Plains from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Green Plains from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 target price on shares of Green Plains in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Green Plains from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.29.

Green Plains Trading Up 2.0%

The company has a 50 day moving average of $15.90 and a 200-day moving average of $13.85. The stock has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -44.91 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.71.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 positive return on equity of 2.86% and a negative net margin of 0.80%.Green Plains’s revenue was down 25.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($1.14) EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Green Plains, Inc. will post 2.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Green Plains

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPRE. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in Green Plains in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Green Plains in the third quarter valued at $67,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Green Plains in the third quarter valued at $95,000. Marex Group plc purchased a new position in Green Plains in the fourth quarter valued at $98,000. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Green Plains during the 4th quarter worth $98,000.

About Green Plains

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.