Green Plains Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:GPRE)

Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders acquired 5,881 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 451% compared to the average daily volume of 1,068 call options.

Green Plains Stock Performance

Shares of GPRE traded down $0.08 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $3.40. 2,107,535 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,360,511. The firm has a market capitalization of $220.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.50 and a beta of 1.20. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $5.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $8.67. Green Plains has a twelve month low of $3.26 and a twelve month high of $22.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.86) earnings per share 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.13 EPS. Analysts predict that Green Plains will post -0.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Green Plains

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Green Plains by 433.3% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,344 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 2,717 shares during the period. Dauntless Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in Green Plains in the 4th quarter worth about $54,000. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 120.7% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 6,071 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 3,320 shares in the last quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Green Plains by 340.6% in the 4th quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 7,050 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 5,450 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new stake in Green Plains in the fourth quarter worth $72,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Bank of America downgraded Green Plains from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $10.00 to $4.50 in a research note on Tuesday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Green Plains from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group downgraded shares of Green Plains from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $20.50 to $7.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $12.00 price objective (down previously from $18.00) on shares of Green Plains in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Green Plains from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $14.00 to $6.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Green Plains currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $16.50.

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.