Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Stock Price Down 6.1% – Here’s Why

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE)’s share price dropped 6.1% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $15.44 and last traded at $15.50. Approximately 372,111 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 1,531,402 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.51.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Green Plains from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Green Plains from $7.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Green Plains from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Green Plains from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.14.

Green Plains Trading Down 6.1%

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.79. The firm has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a PE ratio of -8.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.46.

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

Institutional Trading of Green Plains

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $741,000 after acquiring an additional 58,767 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 69.5% during the first 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 purchasing an additional 229,353 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 112.6% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 85,720 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $517,000 after purchasing an additional 45,397 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Green Plains by 19.0% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,122 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,619 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Planning lifted its position in Green Plains by 6.9% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 42,977 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 2,759 shares during the period.

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.