Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Stock Price Down 6.1% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Green Plains (GPRE) shares fell 6.1% on Friday to about $15.50, trading as low as $15.44 on light volume (372,111 shares, roughly 76% below the average session volume).
• The company beat EPS expectations ($0.17 vs. $0.07) but reported revenue of $428.85M vs. $536.56M expected, with revenue down 26.6% year‑over‑year and negative profitability metrics (net margin -5.8%, ROE -8.7%); analysts expect ~-0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed — the consensus rating is a Hold with a $13.14 target, while individual firms range from Sell to Outperform (Oppenheimer recently raised its target to $16, BMO to $14).

Shares of Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) fell 6.1% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $15.44 and last traded at $15.50. 372,111 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 1,531,402 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.51.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on GPRE shares. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Green Plains from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Green Plains from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Green Plains from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Green Plains from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Three 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $13.14.

Green Plains Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $13.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.22. The firm has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.46.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $536.56 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.86) EPS. Green Plains's quarterly revenue was down 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Green Plains, Inc. will post -0.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Green Plains

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GPRE. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Green Plains by 192.2% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,547 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 2,991 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Green Plains during the third quarter worth about $67,000. Marex Group plc purchased a new position in Green Plains in the fourth quarter valued at about $98,000. Virtus Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Green Plains in the fourth quarter valued at about $98,000. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Green Plains during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $61,000.

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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