Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Sets New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Monday after Stephens upgraded the stock from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating. Stephens now has a $17.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $10.00. Green Plains traded as high as $14.89 and last traded at $14.5260, with a volume of 139331 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.85.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Green Plains from $7.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Green Plains from $7.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Green Plains from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Green Plains from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $12.22.

Institutional Trading of Green Plains

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GPRE. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Green Plains by 62.5% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 152,731 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $741,000 after buying an additional 58,767 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in Green Plains by 69.5% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 559,216 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,712,000 after buying an additional 229,353 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Green Plains in the second quarter worth $96,000. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Green Plains by 131.7% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 13,352 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 7,590 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Equitable Trust Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Green Plains during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $174,000.

Green Plains Price Performance

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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.05. The company has a market capitalization of $996.47 million, a P/E ratio of -7.55, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.54.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $536.56 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.86) earnings per share. Green Plains’s revenue was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Green Plains, Inc. will post -0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.