Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts hold a divided view of Green Plains: three rate the stock a sell, three hold, and three buy, resulting in an average “Hold” recommendation and an average 12-month price target of $15.43.
• Green Plains reported quarterly EPS of $0.83, beating the $0.54 consensus estimate, although revenue of $446.22 million fell short of expectations of $542.38 million.
• Institutional interest increased, with BlackRock initiating a $156.7 million position and BNP Paribas and Assenagon substantially expanding their holdings. The stock opened at $15.56, near its 200-day moving average of $15.46.

Shares of Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the nine analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $15.4286.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Zacks Research cut Green Plains from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Green Plains from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Green Plains in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Green Plains from $12.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th.

Institutional Trading of Green Plains

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GPRE. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Green Plains during the second quarter valued at $156,703,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Green Plains in the third quarter worth about $8,561,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Green Plains by 112.6% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,823,740 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $17,873,000 after acquiring an additional 966,069 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Green Plains by 155.5% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,114,743 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $18,338,000 after acquiring an additional 678,515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Green Plains by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,696,401 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $46,025,000 after purchasing an additional 645,170 shares during the period.

Green Plains Stock Up 3.1%

Shares of GPRE opened at $15.56 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $1.09 billion, a PE ratio of 9.79 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a fifty day moving average of $15.91 and a 200 day moving average of $15.46. Green Plains has a 52-week low of $7.53 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 - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.29. Green Plains had a net margin of 6.78% and a return on equity of 14.52%. The firm had revenue of $446.22 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $542.38 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($1.09) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Green Plains will post 2.04 EPS for the current year.

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.

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