Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 38,529 Shares of Vertex, Inc. $VERX

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its stake in Vertex, Inc. (NASDAQ:VERX) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,348,597 shares of the company’s stock after selling 38,529 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 5.23% of Vertex worth $166,721,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Vertex by 44.6% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 892,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,136,000 after acquiring an additional 275,520 shares in the last quarter. Herald Investment Management Ltd raised its position in shares of Vertex by 81.8% in the 3rd quarter. Herald Investment Management Ltd now owns 200,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,958,000 after acquiring an additional 90,000 shares in the last quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Vertex by 40.3% in the 3rd quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC now owns 378,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,388,000 after acquiring an additional 108,839 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Vertex by 231.0% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,567,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,448,000 after acquiring an additional 2,490,097 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Vertex by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,049,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,807,000 after acquiring an additional 340,680 shares in the last quarter. 70.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vertex Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VERX opened at $14.93 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a market cap of $2.39 billion, a PE ratio of -298.60 and a beta of 0.81. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $12.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.97. Vertex, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $10.59 and a fifty-two week high of $42.44.

Vertex (NASDAQ:VERX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $196.65 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $194.82 million. Vertex had a positive return on equity of 26.04% and a negative net margin of 0.84%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.15 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Vertex, Inc. will post 0.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vertex News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Vertex this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vertex reported first-quarter earnings of $0.17 per share, ahead of the $0.16 estimate, and revenue of $196.65 million, also above expectations; revenue rose 11.1% year over year. Vertex earnings call transcript
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s outlook also looks constructive, with Q2 revenue guidance of $200 million-$204 million and full-year revenue guidance of $823.5 million-$831.5 million, both roughly in line with or slightly above consensus. Vertex Q1 2026 financial results
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its price target on Vertex from $14 to $17 and reiterated an outperform rating, while Piper Sandler also lifted its target from $14 to $16, signaling improved confidence in the stock’s upside. BMO Capital Markets price target increase
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other market commentary focused on the earnings beat and key metrics, reinforcing the view that investors are re-evaluating the company after the report. Compared to Estimates, Vertex Q1 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical-chart coverage noted that Vertex is showing strength on the Nasdaq chart, which may be adding short-term momentum to the move. Vertex move higher signals strength on The Nasdaq chart

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Vertex from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Vertex from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup boosted their price target on Vertex from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $16.00 price target on Vertex in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Vertex in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vertex has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $20.93.

Insider Activity

In other Vertex news, Director Eric C. Andersen purchased 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $12.91 per share, with a total value of $516,400.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 150,341 shares in the company, valued at $1,940,902.31. The trade was a 36.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jeffrey Westphal purchased 150,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $12.53 per share, for a total transaction of $1,879,500.00. Following the purchase, the insider owned 397,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,983,682.20. The trade was a 60.55% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders acquired 437,740 shares of company stock valued at $5,636,339. Corporate insiders own 43.25% of the company’s stock.

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.