Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Trading Down 5.6% – Should You Sell?

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE)’s share price fell 5.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $14.91 and last traded at $15.01. 797,274 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 49% from the average session volume of 1,556,063 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.90.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GPRE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. 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. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective 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. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of Green Plains from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Green Plains currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.29.

Green Plains Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The firm has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a P/E ratio of -45.59 and a beta of 1.19. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $16.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.48.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) 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 positive return on equity of 2.86% and a negative net margin of 0.80%.The business had revenue of $445.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $532.53 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($1.14) EPS. Green Plains’s revenue was down 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Green Plains, Inc. will post 2.1 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Green Plains

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GPRE. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Green Plains in the second quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Green Plains in the 3rd quarter valued at $67,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Green Plains during the third quarter worth $95,000. Marex Group plc acquired a new position in shares of Green Plains during the fourth quarter valued at $98,000. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in Green Plains in the fourth quarter valued at about $98,000.

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.