Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Shares Up 6.8% – Should You Buy?

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) was up 6.8% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $11.30 and last traded at $11.3530. Approximately 452,521 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 51% from the average daily volume of 924,842 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.63.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GPRE has been the topic of several recent research reports. Oppenheimer set a $15.00 price target on shares of Green Plains and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Tudor Pickering raised Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Bank of America upped their price target on Green Plains from $7.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. upgraded shares of Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $14.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 6th. One equities research 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.00.

Green Plains Stock Up 5.5%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market capitalization of $782.79 million, a PE ratio of -3.84, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.44. The company’s 50 day moving average is $9.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.41.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.13) by $0.48. Green Plains had a negative return on equity of 16.78% and a negative net margin of 8.37%.The firm had revenue of $508.49 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $583.55 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.69 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Green Plains, Inc. will post -0.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Green Plains

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its position in Green Plains by 46.5% in the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 5,789 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,838 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 192.2% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,547 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 2,991 shares during the period. Adamsbrown Wealth Consultants LLC bought a new stake in shares of Green Plains during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $60,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Green Plains by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,122 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,619 shares during the period. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in Green Plains in the second quarter worth $61,000.

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.