Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Share Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Green Plains' stock price exceeded its 200-day moving average, trading at $9.02 compared to the average of $6.47, indicating potential bullish sentiment.
• Oppenheimer upgraded Green Plains to an "outperform" rating with a target price of $14.00, while Bank of America set a lower target of $7.00, reflecting mixed analyst views.
• In the latest quarterly earnings, Green Plains reported a net loss of ($0.41) EPS, missing expectations and showing a revenue decline of 10.7% year-over-year.

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report)'s stock price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $6.47 and traded as high as $9.15. Green Plains shares last traded at $9.02, with a volume of 2,463,126 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GPRE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer raised Green Plains from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $14.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. Bank of America reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and set a $7.00 target price (up from $4.50) on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Green Plains to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Green Plains currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $8.83.

Green Plains Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $591.44 million, a PE ratio of -3.76 and a beta of 1.26. The business has a 50-day moving average of $9.20 and a 200 day moving average of $6.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 11th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.28) by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $552.83 million during 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 company's quarterly revenue was down 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.38) earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Green Plains, Inc. will post -0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Michelle Mapes sold 30,954 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.51, for a total value of $294,372.54. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 60,558 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $575,906.58. This represents a 33.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GPRE. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its stake in Green Plains by 52.2% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 114,001 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,081,000 after purchasing an additional 39,100 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Green Plains by 69.9% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 329,863 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $3,127,000 after purchasing an additional 135,719 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its stake in Green Plains by 2,171.7% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 45,548 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $432,000 after purchasing an additional 43,543 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Green Plains by 193.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 41,138 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $200,000 after purchasing an additional 27,106 shares during the period. Finally, Lumbard & Kellner LLC grew its stake in Green Plains by 159.4% in the 1st quarter. Lumbard & Kellner LLC now owns 740,323 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $3,591,000 after purchasing an additional 454,882 shares during the period.

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.

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