Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Cut to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPREGet Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Sunday.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Green Plains from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Zacks Research downgraded Green Plains from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 target price on shares of Green Plains in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price target on shares of Green Plains from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.29.

View Our Latest Analysis on GPRE

Green Plains Stock Up 1.6%

GPRE stock traded up $0.26 during trading on Friday, reaching $16.89. The stock had a trading volume of 815,683 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,272,016. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -51.18 and a beta of 1.19. Green Plains has a one year low of $7.07 and a one year high of $18.94. The company’s 50 day moving average is $15.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.46.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPREGet Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 0.80% and a positive return on equity of 2.86%. The firm had revenue of $445.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $532.53 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($1.14) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 25.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Green Plains will post 2.1 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Green Plains

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Green Plains in the third quarter worth $67,000. Marex Group plc bought a new position in shares of Green Plains during the 4th quarter worth $98,000. Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Green Plains during the 4th quarter worth $98,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in Green Plains in the 2nd quarter worth about $61,000. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in Green Plains in the 4th quarter worth about $100,000.

About Green Plains

(Get Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

Analyst Recommendations for Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE)

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