Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the nine ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $15.4286.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Friday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Friday, August 7th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Green Plains in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Zacks Research cut shares of Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Green Plains from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th.

Institutional Trading of Green Plains

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Green Plains in the second quarter valued at approximately $156,703,000. Thomist Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Green Plains during the second quarter worth $19,542,000. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Green Plains by 30,231.3% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 1,126,201 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $17,321,000 after buying an additional 1,122,488 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Green Plains in the third quarter valued at $8,561,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 112.6% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,823,740 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $17,873,000 after buying an additional 966,069 shares during the period.

Green Plains Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GPRE opened at $15.45 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.99 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.72 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50-day moving average is $16.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.76. Green Plains has a 1-year low of $8.65 and a 1-year high of $19.65.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.29. Green Plains had a net margin of 6.78% and a return on equity of 14.52%. The business had revenue of $446.22 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $542.38 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($1.09) EPS. Analysts forecast that Green Plains will post 2.04 EPS for the current 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.