Brokerages Set Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) PT at $15.43

Shares of Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the nine analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $15.4286.

Several research firms have recently commented on GPRE. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Green Plains in a report on Friday, August 7th. UBS Group raised their price target on Green Plains from $12.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Zacks Research downgraded Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Stephens increased their target price on Green Plains from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th.

Green Plains Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:GPRE opened at $16.18 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $15.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.99. Green Plains has a 1-year low of $7.53 and a 1-year high of $19.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.18 and a beta of 1.17.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $446.22 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $542.38 million. Green Plains had a net margin of 6.78% and a return on equity of 14.52%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($1.09) EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Green Plains will post 2.04 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Green Plains

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Green Plains by 62.5% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 152,731 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $741,000 after purchasing an additional 58,767 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $2,712,000 after purchasing an additional 229,353 shares during the period. Creative Planning increased its stake in shares of Green Plains by 6.9% in 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. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 1.3% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 100,159 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $604,000 after buying an additional 1,246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Green Plains during the second quarter valued at approximately $297,000.

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.