Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Trading Down 5.3% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) traded down 5.3% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $15.65 and last traded at $15.57. 105,548 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 93% from the average session volume of 1,572,783 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.45.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GPRE has been the subject of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Green Plains from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Green Plains from $7.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Green Plains from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.29.

Green Plains Stock Down 3.7%

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $14.29 and a 200 day moving average of $11.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.10. Green Plains had a negative net margin of 5.80% and a negative return on equity of 8.70%. The company had revenue of $428.85 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $536.56 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.86) earnings per share. Green Plains’s revenue for the quarter was down 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Green Plains, Inc. will post -0.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Green Plains

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Green Plains by 62.5% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 152,731 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $741,000 after buying an additional 58,767 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of Green Plains by 69.5% during 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 acquiring an additional 229,353 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Green Plains by 19.0% in the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,122 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,619 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its holdings in 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 last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in Green Plains by 1.3% in the second 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 during the last quarter.

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.