Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.10 EPS

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.10, FiscalAI reports. Green Plains had a negative net margin of 8.37% and a negative return on equity of 16.78%. The business had revenue of $428.85 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $536.56 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.86) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Here are the key takeaways from Green Plains’ conference call:

• The company raised its stated plant production capacity to 730 million gallons/year (ex-Fairmont) after plants ran above prior stated limits, with several facilities hitting historical volumes and record ethanol yields.
• Carbon capture is operational at three Nebraska plants with CO2 sequestered in Wyoming, the company booked $27.7 million of 45Z benefits in Q4 and expects at least $188 million of carbon-related adjusted EBITDA in 2026 (subject to volumes and CI factors).
• Results and the balance sheet improved materially — Q4 adjusted EBITDA was $49.1 million vs. -$18.2M a year ago, Green Plains refinanced near-term debt (new $200M notes due 2030), repurchased shares, and ended the quarter with ~$230M cash and significant revolver capacity.
• Monetization and accounting for 45Z credits remain uncertain — credits are recorded under ASC 740 with a valuation allowance, the company has not finalized a 2026 credit sale, and potential early adoption of ASU 2025-10 could change how credits are presented, creating timing/discounting risk.
• Management’s 2026 priorities focus on CI and energy-efficiency projects, debottlenecks, on-site grain storage, and disciplined capital allocation (including possible debt paydown or buybacks), while policy tailwinds (E15, 45Z regs) and hedged commodity positions support near-term outlook.

Green Plains Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GPRE traded down $0.08 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $12.53. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,608,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,301,383. The company has a market cap of $874.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $10.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.93. Green Plains has a one year low of $3.14 and a one year high of $14.23.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GPRE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Roth Mkm lowered shares of Green Plains from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $10.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Green Plains from $7.00 to $9.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Green Plains from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $15.00 price objective on Green Plains and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Green Plains has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.63.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Green Plains

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Green Plains by 62.5% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 152,731 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $741,000 after purchasing an additional 58,767 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Green Plains by 69.5% in 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. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in Green Plains by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 100,159 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $604,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Green Plains during the second quarter valued at approximately $297,000.

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.