Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Price Target Raised to $20.00

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) had its price target hoisted by investment analysts at Stephens from $18.00 to $20.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the specialty chemicals company’s stock. Stephens’ price target indicates a potential upside of 21.51% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Green Plains from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Green Plains from $7.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Green Plains from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Green Plains presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.00.

Green Plains Trading Down 3.0%

Shares of Green Plains stock opened at $16.46 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.71 and a beta of 1.24. Green Plains has a 12-month low of $3.38 and a 12-month high of $18.94. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.01) by $0.43. Green Plains had a negative net margin of 5.80% and a negative return on equity of 8.70%. The firm had revenue of $445.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $532.53 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($1.14) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 25.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Green Plains will post 0.78 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Green Plains

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPRE. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,095 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Green Plains by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,936 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $175,000 after acquiring an additional 1,128 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in shares of Green Plains by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 100,159 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $604,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC increased 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Green Plains by 22.9% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter.

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.