KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Invests $4.25 Million in Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 448,200 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,249,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Green Plains by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 37,479 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $355,000 after acquiring an additional 1,488 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 433.3% during the 4th 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 last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its position 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 valued at $618,000 after purchasing an additional 2,900 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its position in Green Plains by 120.7% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 6,071 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 3,320 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Green Plains from $13.00 to $8.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group lowered shares of Green Plains from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $20.50 to $7.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com cut shares of Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Stephens upgraded shares of Green Plains to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $12.00 price target (down previously from $18.00) on shares of Green Plains in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $18.89.

Green Plains Stock Performance

Shares of GPRE stock opened at $5.09 on Thursday. Green Plains Inc. has a one year low of $4.78 and a one year high of $24.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.48. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $6.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.79. The firm has a market cap of $329.47 million, a P/E ratio of -3.74 and a beta of 1.55.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.86) 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 period last year, the firm earned $0.13 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Green Plains Inc. will post -0.5 EPS for the current year.

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.