Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Stock Price Down 6.7% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) dropped 6.7% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $9.61 and last traded at $9.73. Approximately 282,930 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 2,009,037 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.43.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GPRE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. upgraded shares of Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $14.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Green Plains from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $15.00 target price on Green Plains and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Green Plains has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.00.

Green Plains Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $10.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $7.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.47. The stock has a market cap of $686.69 million, a PE ratio of -4.04 and a beta of 1.28.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.13) by $0.48. The company had revenue of $508.49 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $583.55 million. Green Plains had a negative net margin of 6.34% and a negative return on equity of 13.65%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.69 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Green Plains, Inc. will post -0.5 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Michelle Mapes sold 30,954 shares of the company’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 approximately $575,906.58. This represents a 33.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Green Plains

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Voleon Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Green Plains in the first quarter worth about $358,000. Inspire Investing LLC grew its position in Green Plains by 52.7% during the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 70,629 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $343,000 after acquiring an additional 24,388 shares during the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Green Plains in the 1st quarter worth approximately $141,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC increased its stake in Green Plains by 2,026.7% in the 1st quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 295,606 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,434,000 after purchasing an additional 281,706 shares during the period. Finally, Nexpoint Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Green Plains by 805.5% in the first quarter. Nexpoint Asset Management L.P. now owns 382,563 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,855,000 after purchasing an additional 340,313 shares during the last quarter.

About Green Plains

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.