Vertex, Inc. (NASDAQ:VERX) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Vertex, Inc. (NASDAQ:VERX) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the fourteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $20.9286.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VERX shares. UBS Group set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Vertex in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on Vertex from $30.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wall Street Zen raised Vertex from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Vertex from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Vertex from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vertex

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Vertex in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Vertex in the 2nd quarter valued at about $54,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Vertex by 36.9% during the 4th quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,320 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 895 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in Vertex by 49.1% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 4,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 1,376 shares during the period. 70.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vertex Price Performance

VERX stock opened at $13.35 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Vertex has a 1-year low of $10.59 and a 1-year high of $42.44. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $12.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $15.88. The firm has a market cap of $2.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -267.00 and a beta of 0.82.

Vertex (NASDAQ:VERX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.01. Vertex had a negative net margin of 0.84% and a positive return on equity of 26.04%. The company had revenue of $196.65 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $194.82 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.15 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Vertex will post 0.52 EPS for the current year.

About Vertex

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.