Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Sets New 1-Year High Following Analyst Upgrade

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday after BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on the stock from $14.00 to $15.00. BMO Capital Markets currently has a market perform rating on the stock. Green Plains traded as high as $16.85 and last traded at $16.70, with a volume of 229424 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $16.19.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on Green Plains from $7.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Stephens upgraded Green Plains from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $10.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Green Plains from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Green Plains from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.29.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in Green Plains by 263.1% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 457,280 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $4,019,000 after acquiring an additional 331,326 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Green Plains in the 2nd quarter valued at about $197,000. Rafferty Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Green Plains during the 3rd quarter worth about $924,000. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Green Plains during the 3rd quarter worth about $868,000. Finally, Wolf Hill Capital Management LP increased its position in Green Plains by 19.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wolf Hill Capital Management LP now owns 1,291,815 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $11,355,000 after purchasing an additional 211,303 shares in the last quarter.

Green Plains Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.16 billion, a PE ratio of -8.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company’s fifty day moving average is $13.88 and its 200 day moving average is $11.36.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.10. Green Plains had a negative net margin of 5.80% and a negative return on equity of 8.70%. The company had revenue of $428.85 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $536.56 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.86) earnings per share. Green Plains’s revenue for the quarter was down 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Green Plains, Inc. will post -0.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.