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

Key Points

• Consensus "Hold": Nine brokers cover Green Plains with a consensus rating of Hold (2 sell, 4 hold, 3 buy) and an average 12‑month target price of $13.29.
• Mixed analyst moves: Oppenheimer raised its rating to "outperform" with a $16 target and BMO raised its target to $15, while Zacks moved to "hold" and Wall Street Zen and Weiss issued downgrades/reaffirmed sells.
• Mixed fundamentals: Green Plains beat quarterly EPS estimates ($0.17 vs. $0.07) but missed on revenue ($428.9M vs. $536.6M) with revenue down 26.6% YoY, and analysts forecast about -$0.50 EPS for the fiscal year.

Shares of Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $13.2857.

Several brokerages have recently commented on GPRE. Zacks Research raised shares of Green Plains from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Green Plains from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Green Plains from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Green Plains from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th.

Green Plains Stock Performance

Shares of GPRE stock opened at $15.59 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.79. Green Plains has a one year low of $3.14 and a one year high of $17.94. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $14.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.25, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.31.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $428.85 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $536.56 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.86) earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Green Plains will post -0.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Green Plains

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Green Plains by 192.2% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,547 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 2,991 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Green Plains during the second quarter worth about $61,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Green Plains during the third quarter worth about $67,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Green Plains during the third quarter worth about $95,000. Finally, Marex Group plc acquired a new stake in Green Plains during the fourth quarter worth about $98,000.

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.

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