Inspire Investing LLC Buys 82,016 Shares of Green Plains, Inc. $GPRE

Inspire Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) by 170.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 130,133 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 82,016 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Green Plains were worth $2,141,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GPRE. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new stake in Green Plains in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,351,000. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in Green Plains by 263.1% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 457,280 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $4,019,000 after purchasing an additional 331,326 shares during the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Green Plains during the third quarter valued at approximately $924,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Green Plains by 825.7% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 436,228 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $4,275,000 after purchasing an additional 389,102 shares during the period. Finally, Wolf Hill Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Green Plains by 19.6% in the third quarter. Wolf Hill Capital Management LP now owns 1,291,815 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $11,355,000 after purchasing an additional 211,303 shares during the period.

Green Plains Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of GPRE stock opened at $15.38 on Wednesday. Green Plains, Inc. has a 12 month low of $5.91 and a 12 month high of $18.94. 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 firm has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a PE ratio of -46.60 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $15.83 and a 200-day moving average of $14.13.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.42 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $445.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $532.53 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($1.14) earnings per share. Green Plains’s quarterly revenue was down 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Green Plains, Inc. will post 2.1 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GPRE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stephens upped their price objective 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. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of Green Plains in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Green Plains from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Green Plains from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.29.

Green Plains 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.