Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Lowered to Neutral Rating by UBS Group

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) was downgraded by analysts at UBS Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have a $7.00 price objective on the specialty chemicals company’s stock, down from their prior price objective of $20.50. UBS Group’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 29.39% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on GPRE. Stephens raised shares of Green Plains to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Green Plains from $13.00 to $8.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com lowered Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $12.00 price target (down previously from $18.00) on shares of Green Plains in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Green Plains currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.50.

Green Plains Price Performance

NASDAQ GPRE opened at $5.41 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.79. Green Plains has a twelve month low of $5.32 and a twelve month high of $24.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $350.18 million, a PE ratio of -3.98 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.48.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.86) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.22) by ($0.64). Green Plains had a negative return on equity of 11.88% and a negative net margin of 3.36%. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.13 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Green Plains will post -0.5 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 71.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 142,851 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,935,000 after buying an additional 59,564 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Green Plains by 16.0% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,150,738 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $15,581,000 after acquiring an additional 159,147 shares during the period. Paloma Partners Management Co acquired a new position in Green Plains during the third quarter worth $840,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 1,122.1% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 704,125 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $6,675,000 after acquiring an additional 646,507 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Green Plains by 29.5% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 556,095 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $7,530,000 after purchasing an additional 126,795 shares in 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.