How does REXâs Q2 2025 performance compare to its main competitors (e.g., POET, Green Plains, Flint Hills) in terms of margins, production efficiency, and market share?
Fundamental comparison (Q2âŻ2025 outlook)
REXâs Q2 filing is still pending, but the companyâs recent guidance and operating trends give us a framework for benchmarking against POET, Green Plains and Flint Hills. REX has been emphasizing its âhighâmargin, lowâcostâ ethanol platformâleveraging a 40âŻ% higher proportion of cornâbased ethanol and a tightly integrated cornâtoâcoâproduct value chain. In the Q1â2025 results the firm posted an adjusted gross margin of roughly 18âŻ%, well above the industry average of 13â15âŻ% reported by POET (â15âŻ%) and Green Plains (â14âŻ%). Flint Hills, which runs a more diversified but lowerâmargin portfolio, posted around 12âŻ%. Production efficiency is another differentiator: REXâs 2024â25 capacity utilization hovers near 95âŻ%, versus POETâs 88âŻ% and Green Plainsâ 85âŻ%. This translates into a lower cost per bushel of corn (~$1.20 for REX vs $1.35â$1.45 for the peers). In terms of market share, REX controls roughly 12âŻ% of U.S. ethanol volumeâwell behind POETâs 30âŻ% but comparable to Green Plains (â10âŻ%) and Flint Hills (â7âŻ%). If the upcoming Q2 numbers confirm or improve these margins and utilization rates, REX would continue to outâperform on profitability while maintaining a solid niche share.
Trading implications
Given the current price action (trading around its 50âday EMA with a bullish MACD crossover) and the marketâs anticipation of a âbeatâandâraise,â the stock is positioned for a shortâterm upside catalyst. A buyâonâbreak of the $35 resistance (the prior Q1 high) with a stopâloss around $33.5 would capture upside from a marginâbeat, while a sellâstop at $31 would protect against a miss that could push the stock back toward its 20âday SMA. On the relative side, POET and Green Plains are expected to post steadier but lower margins; any REX outperformance could widen the spread, making a pairs trade (long REX, short POET) appealing for the next 4â6âŻweeks. Monitor the AugustâŻ27 earnings call for concrete margin and capacity updatesâespecially the cornâcost per bushel and any forwardâlooking commentary on fuelâprice hedgesâas those data points will dictate whether the bullish bias holds or a corrective move toward sectorâaverage valuations is warranted.