Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $18.08 and last traded at $17.8180, with a volume of 482478 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $17.38.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on GPRE shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Stephens upgraded shares of Green Plains from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $10.00 to $17.00 in a report on Monday, February 9th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Green Plains from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Green Plains from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Three equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Green Plains has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.57.

Green Plains Price Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average is $15.69 and its 200-day moving average is $12.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The firm has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a PE ratio of -9.32, a P/E/G ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.31.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.10. Green Plains had a negative net margin of 5.80% and a negative return on equity of 8.70%. The business had revenue of $428.85 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $536.56 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.86) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Green Plains, Inc. will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Green Plains

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPRE. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in Green Plains during the second quarter worth about $61,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Green Plains during the third quarter worth about $67,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Green Plains during the third quarter worth about $95,000. Marex Group plc purchased a new stake in Green Plains during the fourth quarter worth about $98,000. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Green Plains during the fourth quarter worth about $98,000.

About Green Plains

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.