21,614 Shares in Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) Bought by Virtu Financial LLC

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 21,614 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $205,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Green Plains by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 37,479 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $355,000 after buying an additional 1,488 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 433.3% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,344 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 2,717 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Green Plains by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 65,154 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $618,000 after purchasing an additional 2,900 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Green Plains by 21.7% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 16,605 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 2,959 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its holdings 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 valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 3,320 shares during the period.

Green Plains Stock Down 10.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ GPRE opened at $4.86 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market cap of $314.58 million, a PE ratio of -3.57 and a beta of 1.55. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $6.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.69. Green Plains Inc. has a 12-month low of $4.74 and a 12-month high of $24.04.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.86) earnings per share (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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.13 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Green Plains Inc. will post -0.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on GPRE shares. StockNews.com lowered Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Green Plains from $13.00 to $8.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Stephens upgraded shares of Green Plains to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. UBS Group lowered shares of Green Plains from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $20.50 to $7.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Green Plains from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock 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, five have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Green Plains has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $18.89.

Green Plains 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.