Nexpoint Asset Management L.P. Acquires 26,950 Shares of Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE)

Nexpoint Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) by 176.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 42,250 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 26,950 shares during the period. Nexpoint Asset Management L.P. owned approximately 0.07% of Green Plains worth $401,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Green Plains by 433.3% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,344 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 2,717 shares during the last quarter. Dauntless Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in Green Plains during the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Green Plains by 120.7% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 6,071 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 3,320 shares during the last quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 340.6% in the fourth quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 7,050 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 5,450 shares during the period. Finally, Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Green Plains during the fourth quarter worth $96,000.

Green Plains Trading Down 3.5 %

NASDAQ:GPRE opened at $3.58 on Thursday. 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 Inc. has a 1 year low of $3.14 and a 1 year high of $20.83. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $4.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.14. The stock has a market cap of $243.03 million, a P/E ratio of -2.63 and a beta of 1.20.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.86) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.22) by ($0.64). Green Plains had a negative net margin of 3.36% and a negative return on equity of 11.88%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.13 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Green Plains Inc. will post -0.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Green Plains from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $14.00 to $6.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America lowered shares of Green Plains from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $10.00 to $4.50 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group downgraded Green Plains from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $20.50 to $7.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, 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 report on Monday, February 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Green Plains currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.50.

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.