Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) from a "buy" to a "hold," and the analyst consensus across firms is a prevailing "Hold" with a consensus price target of $13.29.
• Green Plains beat Q4 EPS estimates ($0.17 vs. $0.07) but reported revenue down 26.6% year-over-year to $428.85M and continues to show negative net margin and ROE, with analysts forecasting about -0.5 EPS for the current year.
• Shares opened at $16.96 (near a 52-week high of $17.94), the company has a market cap of $1.18B and a negative P/E (-8.97), highlighting lingering profitability concerns despite recent analyst price-target increases from some firms.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Green Plains in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Green Plains from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Green Plains from $7.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Green Plains from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Stephens raised shares of Green Plains from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $10.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Monday, February 9th. 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $13.29.

Green Plains Price Performance

GPRE opened at $16.96 on Friday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $14.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.68. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.31.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $428.85 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $536.56 million. Green Plains had a negative return on equity of 8.70% and a negative net margin of 5.80%.The business's revenue was down 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.86) EPS. Analysts anticipate that Green Plains will post -0.5 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Green Plains

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Green Plains by 192.2% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,547 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 2,991 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Green Plains in the 2nd quarter worth $61,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Green Plains in the 3rd quarter worth $67,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Green Plains in the second quarter valued at about $75,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Green Plains during the third quarter worth about $95,000.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.