Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nine research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $15.4286.

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

Green Plains Price Performance

Green Plains stock opened at $15.45 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a PE 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 52-week low of $8.65 and a 52-week high of $19.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GPRE. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Green Plains by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 34,606 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,095 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Green Plains by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 100,159 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $604,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Green Plains by 11.7% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 12,275 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $120,000 after purchasing an additional 1,290 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 22.9% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 9,304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 1,736 shares during the period. Finally, Nykredit A S purchased a new stake in shares of Green Plains during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000.

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.