Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Rating Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on GPRE. Roth Mkm reduced their price target on shares of Green Plains from $55.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Craig Hallum reduced their target price on shares of Green Plains from $37.00 to $34.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Green Plains from $33.50 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Green Plains from $39.00 to $34.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Green Plains from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Green Plains presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.75.

Green Plains Trading Down 3.1 %

Shares of GPRE stock opened at $19.28 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $21.56 and its 200 day moving average is $23.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a P/E ratio of -15.67 and a beta of 1.62. Green Plains has a 12-month low of $19.27 and a 12-month high of $36.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.81) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.33) by ($0.48). The firm had revenue of $597.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $654.40 million. Green Plains had a negative net margin of 2.43% and a negative return on equity of 7.86%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 28.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($1.20) earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Green Plains will post 0.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in Green Plains in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in Green Plains by 50.4% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,546 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 853 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Green Plains in the fourth quarter valued at $88,000. iA Global Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Green Plains in the third quarter valued at $164,000. Finally, Cape Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Green Plains in the fourth quarter valued at $196,000.

About Green Plains

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.