Stephens Issues Positive Forecast for Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Stock Price

Key Points

• Stephens raised its price target on Green Plains from $18 to $20 and kept an "overweight" rating, implying about a 21.5% upside from the current stock price.
• Green Plains beat quarterly EPS expectations ($0.42 vs. ($0.01)) but missed revenue and saw sales decline 25.9% year-over-year, leaving the company with a negative net margin and return on equity; analyst sentiment is mixed with a consensus "Hold" rating and a $14 target.
• Several institutional investors increased their stakes (e.g., Dimensional, Assenagon, Inspire), while the stock trades near $16.46 with a market cap of about $1.15 billion and a 52-week high of $18.94.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by stock analysts at Stephens from $18.00 to $20.00 in a research note issued on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the specialty chemicals company's stock. Stephens' price objective would indicate a potential upside of 21.51% from the stock's current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on GPRE. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Green Plains from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Green Plains from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Zacks Research raised shares of Green Plains from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Green Plains from $7.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Green Plains in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $14.00.

Green Plains Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GPRE opened at $16.46 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $15.89 and its 200 day moving average is $12.68. Green Plains has a fifty-two week low of $3.38 and a fifty-two week high of $18.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.15 billion, a PE ratio of -8.71 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.79.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.43. Green Plains had a negative net margin of 5.80% and a negative return on equity of 8.70%. The company had revenue of $445.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $532.53 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($1.14) earnings per share. Green Plains's quarterly revenue was down 25.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Green Plains will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Green Plains

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPRE. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Green Plains by 9.7% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,643,651 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $27,039,000 after acquiring an additional 145,741 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Green Plains in the first quarter valued at approximately $4,596,000. Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in Green Plains by 170.5% in the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 130,133 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,141,000 after purchasing an additional 82,016 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in Green Plains by 155.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 678,515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in Green Plains by 72.9% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 70,808 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $691,000 after purchasing an additional 29,847 shares during the period.

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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