Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Takes Position in Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 29,800 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $752,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System owned 0.05% of Green Plains at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Zenyatta Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Green Plains by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Zenyatta Capital Management LP now owns 500,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $12,610,000 after buying an additional 28,000 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Green Plains by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 26,565 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $670,000 after buying an additional 901 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al acquired a new position in shares of Green Plains in the third quarter valued at approximately $4,475,000. iA Global Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Green Plains in the third quarter valued at approximately $164,000. Finally, Seven Eight Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Green Plains in the third quarter valued at approximately $246,000.

Green Plains Price Performance

Green Plains stock opened at $21.40 on Friday. Green Plains Inc. has a 52-week low of $19.44 and a 52-week high of $36.02. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $21.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.21 and a beta of 1.60.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by ($0.04). Green Plains had a negative return on equity of 9.67% and a negative net margin of 2.83%. The firm had revenue of $712.39 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $782.01 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.66) earnings per share. Green Plains’s revenue for the quarter was down 22.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Green Plains Inc. will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Ejnar A. Knudsen III bought 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $24.73 per share, for a total transaction of $98,920.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 40,913 shares in the company, valued at $1,011,778.49. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 3.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on GPRE shares. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Monday, March 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Green Plains from $39.00 to $34.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. UBS Group cut their price target on Green Plains from $33.50 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, TheStreet cut Green Plains from a “c-” rating to a “d+” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $37.40.

Green Plains Company Profile

Green Plains Inc produces low-carbon fuels in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Ethanol Production, Agribusiness and Energy Services, and Partnership. The Ethanol Production segment produces ethanol, distillers grains, and ultra-high protein and renewable corn oil.