Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Shares Down 7.2% – Should You Sell?

Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) shares traded down 7.2% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $17.97 and last traded at $17.8530. Approximately 214,467 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 1,531,258 shares. The stock had previously closed at $19.23.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on GPRE. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Green Plains from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Green Plains from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Friday. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of Green Plains from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Green Plains from $12.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $15.43.

Green Plains Trading Up 5.0%

The company has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion, a PE ratio of -53.54 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $15.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.87.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last issued its earnings results 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 positive return on equity of 2.86% and a negative net margin of 0.80%.The business had revenue of $445.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $532.53 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($1.14) earnings per share. Green Plains’s revenue for the quarter was down 25.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Green Plains, Inc. will post 2.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Green Plains

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Green Plains by 62.5% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 152,731 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $741,000 after purchasing an additional 58,767 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of Green Plains by 69.5% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 559,216 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,712,000 after buying an additional 229,353 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning grew its stake in shares of Green Plains by 6.9% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 42,977 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 2,759 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 1.3% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 100,159 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $604,000 after buying an additional 1,246 shares during the period. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Green Plains in the second quarter worth about $297,000.

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.