Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $16.41 and last traded at $16.41, with a volume of 555460 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $15.72.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Zacks Research upgraded Green Plains from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Green Plains from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Green Plains from $7.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Green Plains from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.14.

Green Plains Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.79. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $12.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.15 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.46.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.10. Green Plains had a negative return on equity of 8.70% and a negative net margin of 5.80%.The firm had revenue of $428.85 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $536.56 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.86) earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Green Plains, Inc. will post -0.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Green Plains

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Green Plains by 192.2% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,547 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 2,991 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Green Plains during the 3rd quarter worth $67,000. Marex Group plc bought a new position in Green Plains during the fourth quarter worth about $98,000. Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Green Plains in the fourth quarter valued at about $98,000. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Green Plains in the second quarter worth about $61,000.

Green Plains Company Profile

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.