Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Upgraded by Stephens to “Overweight” Rating

Stephens upgraded shares of Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report report published on Monday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. Stephens currently has $17.00 price target on the specialty chemicals company’s stock, up from their prior price target of $10.00.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on GPRE. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Green Plains from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday. UBS Group upped 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. Wall Street Zen raised Green Plains from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Green Plains from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.22.

Green Plains Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GPRE opened at $14.27 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $10.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.79. Green Plains has a 52 week low of $3.14 and a 52 week high of $14.89. The firm has a market cap of $996.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.54.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Green Plains

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 192.2% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,547 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 2,991 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Green Plains by 19.0% in the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,122 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,619 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Green Plains during the second quarter worth $61,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Green Plains during the second quarter worth $66,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in Green Plains in the 3rd quarter valued at $67,000.

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.