Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Trading Up 8.1% – Here’s What Happened

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE)’s share price was up 8.1% on Monday . The company traded as high as $10.62 and last traded at $10.4730. Approximately 1,231,014 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 39% from the average daily volume of 2,010,877 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.69.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on GPRE shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Green Plains to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Green Plains from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Oppenheimer set a $15.00 price target on Green Plains and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. upgraded shares of Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $14.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, October 6th. One equities 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.00.

Green Plains Stock Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average is $10.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $7.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $680.61 million, a PE ratio of -4.06 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.13) by $0.48. Green Plains had a negative net margin of 6.34% and a negative return on equity of 13.65%. The company had revenue of $508.49 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $583.55 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.69 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Green Plains, Inc. will post -0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Michelle Mapes sold 30,954 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.51, for a total value of $294,372.54. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 60,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $575,906.58. The trade was a 33.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Green Plains

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its stake in shares of Green Plains by 46.5% during the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 5,789 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,838 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Green Plains by 192.2% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,547 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 2,991 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 54.6% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,503 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 3,002 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in Green Plains by 115.2% during the 1st quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 8,981 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 4,808 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in shares of Green Plains by 2,313.4% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 9,340 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 8,953 shares in the last quarter.

Green Plains Company Profile

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.