Insider Selling: Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Insider Sells 30,954 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Michelle Mapes, an insider at Green Plains, Inc., sold 30,954 shares of stock at an average price of $9.51, significantly reducing her holdings by 33.83%.
• Green Plains reported a quarterly earnings loss of ($0.41) per share, missing analyst estimates, with revenues down by 10.7% year-over-year.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on GPRE's stock; while Oppenheimer upgraded it to "outperform" with a target price of $14.00, Bank of America maintains an "underperform" rating with a target of $7.00.

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) insider Michelle Mapes sold 30,954 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 60,558 shares in the company, valued at $575,906.58. This trade represents a 33.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Green Plains Trading Up 4.1%

GPRE traded up $0.38 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $9.64. 1,692,923 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,935,878. Green Plains, Inc. has a 52-week low of $3.14 and a 52-week high of $14.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $632.05 million, a PE ratio of -4.02 and a beta of 1.21. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $9.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $6.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Green Plains

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Green Plains by 193.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 41,138 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $200,000 after acquiring an additional 27,106 shares during the last quarter. Voleon Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Green Plains in the 1st quarter worth approximately $358,000. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Green Plains by 52.7% in the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 70,629 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 24,388 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its position in shares of Green Plains by 52.2% during 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 acquiring an additional 39,100 shares during the period. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in Green Plains by 44.4% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 19,221 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $182,000 after purchasing an additional 5,910 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America reiterated an "underperform" rating and set a $7.00 target price (up previously from $4.50) on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. 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. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Green Plains to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Green Plains currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $8.83.

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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