UBS Group Raises Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Price Target to $20.00

Key Points

• UBS Group raised its price target on Green Plains to $20 from $12, while keeping a neutral rating on the stock.
• Other analysts were mixed on GPRE: Stephens and Oppenheimer both set $20 targets, while the overall consensus remains Hold with an average price target of $15.43.
• Green Plains reported Q1 earnings of $0.42 per share, beating estimates, but revenue came in below expectations and fell 25.9% year over year.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by equities researchers at UBS Group from $12.00 to $20.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the specialty chemicals company's stock. UBS Group's price objective indicates a potential upside of 16.21% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Stephens lifted their price target on Green Plains from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Green Plains from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered Green Plains from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Green Plains in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and set a $20.00 price objective on shares of Green Plains in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $15.43.

Green Plains Price Performance

Shares of GPRE stock opened at $17.21 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -52.15 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 1.27. Green Plains has a 1-year low of $7.07 and a 1-year high of $18.94. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $15.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.69.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.43. The company had revenue of $445.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $532.53 million. Green Plains had a negative net margin of 0.80% and a positive return on equity of 2.86%. The company's revenue was down 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($1.14) EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Green Plains will post 2.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new position in shares of Green Plains during the third quarter worth approximately $3,351,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in Green Plains by 825.7% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 436,228 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $4,275,000 after acquiring an additional 389,102 shares during the period. Kailix Advisors LLC increased its position in Green Plains by 18.5% in the 4th quarter. Kailix Advisors LLC now owns 1,369,211 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $13,418,000 after acquiring an additional 213,888 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Green Plains by 112.6% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,823,740 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $17,873,000 after acquiring an additional 966,069 shares in the last quarter. Finally, One Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Green Plains during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,361,000.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.