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

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen lowered Green Plains from a strong-buy to a buy rating, while the broader analyst view remains cautious with a consensus Hold and an average price target of $14.29.
• Green Plains shares rose 1.6% to $16.89, near the top of their 52-week range of $7.07 to $18.94. The company has a market cap of about $1.18 billion.
• The company recently beat earnings expectations with $0.42 EPS versus the expected -$0.01, but revenue came in below estimates at $445.8 million and fell 25.9% year over year.

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

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $20.00 price target on shares of Green Plains in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research lowered Green Plains from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Green Plains in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Green Plains from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Stephens upped their target price on Green Plains from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $14.29.

Green Plains Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of Green Plains stock traded up $0.26 during trading on Friday, reaching $16.89. 815,683 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,272,016. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a PE ratio of -51.18 and a beta of 1.19. Green Plains has a 1-year low of $7.07 and a 1-year high of $18.94. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $15.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 1.27.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.01) by $0.43. Green Plains had a negative net margin of 0.80% and a positive return on equity of 2.86%. The business had revenue of $445.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $532.53 million. During the same period last year, the company posted ($1.14) earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Green Plains will post 2.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Green Plains

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GPRE. Amundi lifted its position in Green Plains by 32.8% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 39,520 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $650,000 after acquiring an additional 9,766 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of Green Plains by 4.8% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 52,798 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $869,000 after purchasing an additional 2,426 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Green Plains in the first quarter worth approximately $1,166,000. Bank of Nova Scotia bought a new position in shares of Green Plains in the first quarter valued at approximately $456,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 126.2% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 50,928 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $838,000 after purchasing an additional 28,418 shares in 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.

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