Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.13 EPS

Key Points

• Green Plains reported a quarterly earnings loss of ($0.41) per share, missing the consensus estimate by ($0.19). The company has a negative net margin of 4.22% and a negative return on equity of 12.76%.
• Hedge funds have increased their holdings in Green Plains, with Creative Planning boosting its shares by 6.9%, while UBS Asset Management increased its investments by 69.5% in recent months.
• Analyst ratings have shifted, with BMO Capital Markets lowering its target price from $8 to $7, and Bank of America changing its rating from "buy" to "neutral," reflecting cautious sentiment towards the stock.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) released its earnings results on Monday. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.41) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.28) by ($0.13), Zacks reports. The firm had revenue of $552.83 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $578.18 million. Green Plains had a negative net margin of 6.34% and a negative return on equity of 13.65%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.38) EPS.

Green Plains Price Performance

Shares of GPRE stock traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $8.82. The stock had a trading volume of 2,903,230 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,381,547. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $576.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.67 and a beta of 1.18. Green Plains has a one year low of $3.14 and a one year high of $14.67. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $6.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $5.73.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Green Plains

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Prudential Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Green Plains in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $297,000. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Green Plains by 1.3% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 100,159 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $604,000 after buying an additional 1,246 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its stake in Green Plains by 6.9% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 42,977 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 2,759 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in Green Plains by 69.5% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 559,216 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,712,000 after acquiring an additional 229,353 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Green Plains by 62.5% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 152,731 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $741,000 after acquiring an additional 58,767 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Green Plains from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 12th. Bank of America downgraded Green Plains from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $10.00 to $4.50 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $7.30.

Green Plains Company Profile

Green Plains Inc produces low-carbon fuels in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Ethanol Production, Agribusiness and Energy Services, and Partnership. The Ethanol Production segment produces ethanol, distillers grains, and ultra-high protein and renewable corn oil.