Key Points
- Insider buying: Chief insider Jeffrey Westphal acquired 150,000 shares on Feb 17 at $12.53 for $1.8795M, raising his holding to 397,740 shares after also buying 247,740 shares on Feb 13 at $13.08, signaling significant insider accumulation.
- Valuation and liquidity: Vertex shares trade near $12.09 with a market cap of about $1.93B, a high P/E (~302), a 12‑month range of $11.96–$48.00, and the board has authorized a $150M buyback (up to ~4.1% of shares).
- Recent results and analyst view: The company reported Q4 EPS of $0.17 on $194.7M revenue (matching estimates and +9.1% YoY); analysts' consensus averages a "Hold" rating with a $23.07 price target.
Vertex, Inc. (NASDAQ:VERX - Get Free Report) insider Jeffrey Westphal acquired 150,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $12.53 per share, for a total transaction of $1,879,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 397,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,983,682.20. This represents a 60.55% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.
Jeffrey Westphal also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Friday, February 13th, Jeffrey Westphal bought 247,740 shares of Vertex stock. The stock was bought at an average price of $13.08 per share, with a total value of $3,240,439.20.
Vertex Trading Down 2.0%
Shares of NASDAQ:VERX opened at $12.09 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $18.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. Vertex, Inc. has a 12-month low of $11.96 and a 12-month high of $48.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 302.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.59.
Vertex (NASDAQ:VERX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.17. The business had revenue of $194.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $194.33 million. Vertex had a return on equity of 25.25% and a net margin of 0.96%.Vertex's quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.15 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Vertex, Inc. will post 0.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Vertex announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Monday, November 3rd that permits the company to buyback $150.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $25.00 price objective on Vertex in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on shares of Vertex from $30.00 to $20.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Vertex from $22.00 to $16.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 12th. DA Davidson set a $13.00 target price on shares of Vertex in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Vertex from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $23.07.
Get Our Latest Research Report on Vertex
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Vertex by 36.3% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 180,978 shares of the company's stock worth $6,336,000 after acquiring an additional 48,181 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vertex by 25.7% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,933 shares of the company's stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Vertex by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 81,935 shares of the company's stock worth $2,869,000 after purchasing an additional 3,461 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its stake in Vertex by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 260,875 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,216,000 after purchasing an additional 6,613 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its stake in Vertex by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 137,349 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,852,000 after purchasing an additional 4,784 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.32% of the company's stock.
Vertex Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
Vertex Energy, Inc (NASDAQ: VERX) is a specialty refiner and marketer of transportation fuels and petrochemical feedstocks in the United States. The company collects and processes a variety of waste petroleum products, including used motor oil and industrial lubricants, which it converts into ultra-low-sulfur diesel, asphalt, and other refined products. By leveraging proprietary re-refining technologies and strategic feedstock sourcing, Vertex Energy aims to deliver cost-effective, lower-carbon fuel solutions to wholesale and retail customers across the country.
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Vertex operates a network of refining and blending facilities in key regions, including the Central, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic markets.
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