Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Price Target Raised to $20.00 at UBS Group

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) had its price objective lifted by UBS Group from $12.00 to $20.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the specialty chemicals company’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on GPRE. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Green Plains from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Green Plains in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of Green Plains from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Zacks Research cut Green Plains from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $15.43.

Green Plains Price Performance

Shares of GPRE opened at $19.23 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Green Plains has a twelve month low of $7.07 and a twelve month high of $19.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.35 billion, a P/E ratio of -58.27 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a 50 day moving average of $15.79 and a 200-day moving average of $14.73.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.43. The business had revenue of $445.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $532.53 million. Green Plains had a negative net margin of 0.80% and a positive return on equity of 2.86%. The firm’s revenue was down 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($1.14) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Green Plains will post 2.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Green Plains

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GPRE. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Green Plains by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 34,606 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $339,000 after buying an additional 1,095 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Green Plains by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,936 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $175,000 after acquiring an additional 1,128 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in Green Plains by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 100,159 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $604,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in Green Plains by 11.7% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 12,275 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $120,000 after acquiring an additional 1,290 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP raised its stake in Green Plains by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 9,304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $91,000 after acquiring an additional 1,736 shares during the last quarter.

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.