Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Sets New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Green Plains shares hit a new 52‑week high of $18.08 on Friday, trading around $17.82 with rising momentum (50‑day SMA $15.69 vs 200‑day SMA $12.53) and a market cap near $1.23 billion.
• Analysts are mixed: the consensus rating is "Hold" with an average price target of $13.57, but recent notes include upgrades such as Wall Street Zen to "Buy" and Oppenheimer boosting its target to $18.
• Fundamentals are mixed: Green Plains beat quarterly EPS estimates ($0.17 vs $0.07) but revenue fell 26.6% year‑over‑year and the company still reports a negative net margin and negative return on equity.

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $18.08 and last traded at $17.8180, with a volume of 482478 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.38.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Green Plains from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Green Plains from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Green Plains from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $13.57.

Green Plains Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $15.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.53. The stock has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.32, a P/E/G ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.31.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.17 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $428.85 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $536.56 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.86) earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Green Plains, Inc. will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Inspire Investing LLC raised its holdings in Green Plains by 170.5% during the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 130,133 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,141,000 after buying an additional 82,016 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in Green Plains by 155.5% during the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,114,743 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $18,338,000 after buying an additional 678,515 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in Green Plains by 72.9% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 70,808 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $691,000 after buying an additional 29,847 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 32.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 880,217 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $8,626,000 after purchasing an additional 216,875 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in shares of Green Plains in the fourth quarter valued at about $100,000.

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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