Norris Perne & French LLP MI Has $5.19 Million Stock Holdings in Vertex, Inc. $VERX

Norris Perne & French LLP MI lifted its position in shares of Vertex, Inc. (NASDAQ:VERX) by 26.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 259,854 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 53,718 shares during the period. Norris Perne & French LLP MI owned 0.16% of Vertex worth $5,189,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vertex by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,387,126 shares of the company’s stock worth $207,917,000 after purchasing an additional 689,143 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vertex by 44.6% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 892,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,136,000 after purchasing an additional 275,520 shares during the last quarter. Herald Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of Vertex by 81.8% during the 3rd quarter. Herald Investment Management Ltd now owns 200,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,958,000 after purchasing an additional 90,000 shares during the last quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Vertex by 40.3% during the 3rd quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC now owns 378,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,388,000 after purchasing an additional 108,839 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of Vertex by 231.0% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,567,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,448,000 after purchasing an additional 2,490,097 shares during the last quarter. 70.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertex Stock Up 7.0%

Shares of VERX opened at $11.56 on Tuesday. Vertex, Inc. has a 52 week low of $10.59 and a 52 week high of $42.44. The firm has a market cap of $1.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 289.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.80. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $13.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Vertex (NASDAQ:VERX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.17. The firm had revenue of $194.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $194.33 million. Vertex had a net margin of 0.96% and a return on equity of 24.70%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.15 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Vertex, Inc. will post 0.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on VERX. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Vertex from $22.00 to $16.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $20.00 price target on shares of Vertex in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Vertex from $22.00 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group set a $25.00 price target on shares of Vertex in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Vertex in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Seven equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $23.07.

Insider Transactions at Vertex

In other Vertex news, insider Jeffrey Westphal acquired 150,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $12.53 per share, with a total value of $1,879,500.00. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 397,740 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,983,682.20. This trade represents a 60.55% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Eric C. Andersen acquired 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $12.91 per share, with a total value of $516,400.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 150,341 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,940,902.31. This trade represents a 36.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired a total of 437,740 shares of company stock valued at $5,636,339 in the last three months. Insiders own 43.25% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Profile

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.