Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. Has $170,000 Stock Holdings in Vertex, Inc. $VERX

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. cut its position in Vertex, Inc. (NASDAQ:VERX) by 93.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 8,578 shares of the company’s stock after selling 129,335 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.’s holdings in Vertex were worth $170,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Vertex during the 2nd quarter valued at about $54,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Vertex by 25.7% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,933 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the last quarter. 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 last quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Vertex during the 3rd quarter valued at about $130,000. Finally, State of Wyoming lifted its stake in Vertex by 37.9% during the 3rd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 6,466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $160,000 after acquiring an additional 1,777 shares in the last quarter. 70.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertex Price Performance

Vertex stock opened at $12.35 on Monday. Vertex, Inc. has a 52 week low of $10.59 and a 52 week high of $42.44. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $12.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.99. 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 stock has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 308.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.80.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on VERX. Citizens Jmp cut their price objective on shares of Vertex from $37.00 to $25.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $16.00 price objective on shares of Vertex in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Vertex from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group set a $25.00 target price on shares of Vertex in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $13.00 target price on shares of Vertex in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Six investment 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, Vertex has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $23.07.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jeffrey Westphal purchased 150,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $12.53 per share, with a total value of $1,879,500.00. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 397,740 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,983,682.20. This trade represents a 60.55% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Eric C. Andersen purchased 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $12.91 per share, for a total transaction of $516,400.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 150,341 shares in the company, valued at $1,940,902.31. This trade represents a 36.25% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased a total of 437,740 shares of company stock worth $5,636,339 in the last ninety days. 43.25% of the stock is currently 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.