Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Reduces Stock Holdings in Vertex, Inc. $VERX

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH cut its stake in Vertex by 99.5% in Q4, selling about 3,061,486 shares and leaving it with 15,234 shares worth roughly $304,000.
• Company insiders have been buying heavily—including Jeffrey Westphal (150,000 shares) and director Eric C. Andersen (40,000 shares)—total insider purchases of 437,740 shares (~$5.64M) in the last three months, lifting insider ownership to 43.25%.
• Operationally Vertex reported Q results with $194.7M revenue (+9.1% YoY) and $0.17 EPS (in line), trades around $13.64 with a $2.18B market cap, and carries a consensus analyst rating of "Hold" with a $20.71 average price target.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lowered its stake in shares of Vertex, Inc. (NASDAQ:VERX - Free Report) by 99.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,234 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,061,486 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's holdings in Vertex were worth $304,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VERX. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vertex in the 2nd quarter valued at $54,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Vertex by 25.7% during 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 in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex by 49.1% in 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 last quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex in the 3rd quarter valued at about $130,000. Finally, State of Wyoming grew its stake in Vertex by 37.9% during the 3rd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 6,466 shares of the company's stock worth $160,000 after buying an additional 1,777 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.32% of the company's stock.

Vertex Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VERX opened at $13.64 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $12.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.12. Vertex, Inc. has a 52 week low of $10.59 and a 52 week high of $42.44. The company has a market cap of $2.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 341.09 and a beta of 0.81.

Vertex (NASDAQ:VERX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.17. Vertex had a return on equity of 24.70% and a net margin of 0.96%.The business had revenue of $194.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $194.33 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.15 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Vertex, Inc. will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VERX has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut Vertex from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $16.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Vertex from $20.00 to $14.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on shares of Vertex from $30.00 to $20.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Citizens Jmp dropped their price target on Vertex from $37.00 to $25.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $16.00 price objective on Vertex in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $20.71.

Insider Transactions at Vertex

In other news, insider Jeffrey Westphal purchased 150,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $12.53 per share, with a total value of $1,879,500.00. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 397,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,983,682.20. The trade was a 60.55% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Eric C. Andersen purchased 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $12.91 per share, for a total transaction of $516,400.00. Following the acquisition, the director 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. In the last three months, insiders have purchased 437,740 shares of company stock worth $5,636,339. 43.25% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Vertex Company 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.

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