Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $14.2857.

A number of research firms have weighed in on GPRE. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Green Plains from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 target price on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Stephens increased their target price 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. BMO Capital Markets increased 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. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th.

Green Plains Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GPRE opened at $15.24 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a PE ratio of -46.18 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $15.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.09. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $5.85 and a fifty-two week high of $18.94.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.01) by $0.43. The business had revenue of $445.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $532.53 million. Green Plains had a negative net margin of 0.80% and a positive return on equity of 2.86%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 25.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($1.14) EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Green Plains will post 2.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Green Plains

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new position in shares of Green Plains during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $61,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Green Plains during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $67,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Green Plains during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $95,000. Marex Group plc bought a new position in shares of Green Plains during the 4th quarter worth approximately $98,000. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Green Plains during the 4th quarter worth approximately $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.