The stock of Vertex Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:VTNR) increased by $0.09 on Wednesday to $5.14, up 1.88 percent. The last five days have seen an average of 1,751,033 shares of common stock traded. 17 times new highs were reached in the current year, with a fall of -$1.03. The average number of shares traded over the last 20 days was 2,038,893, while the average volume over the last 50 days totaled 2,411,589.
VTNR stock appreciated 21.34% since last month. On 08/23/23, the company’s shares reached a one-month low of $3.91. The stock touched a high of $11.20 on 03/06/23, after rallying from a low of $3.91 in 52 weeks. The price of VTNR stock has declined by -17.02% or -$1.03 this year, reaching a new high 17 times. Still, the stock price is down -54.06% from the 52-week high.
Insider Transactions
VTNR stock investors should be aware that Vertex Energy Inc. (VTNR) stock had its last reported insider trading activity 131 days ago on May 12. On May 12, Chief Operating Officer Rhame James Gary acquired 4,000 shares at $6.33 each. This transaction resulted in the insider spending $25,310. On Apr 19, Cowart Benjamin P sold 66,666 shares at a price of US$8.00. After the transaction, the insider now owns 5,450,608 shares. CEO and President Cowart Benjamin P had earlier sold 66,667 shares on Apr 11 for $8.29 a share. The transaction was completed for $552,669.
Valuation Metrics
Beta for the stock is 2.02. There are also a few other valuation ratios worth considering, including the trailing price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 0.16, the price-to-book (PB) ratio of 1.71.
Financial Health
For the three months ended June 29, Vertex Energy Inc.’s quick ratio was 0.50, while its current ratio was 1.10, indicating its inability to pay off its debt. The company’s long-term debt to equity ratio for the quarter ending June 29 is 0.80, and the total debt to equity ratio is 0.89. As far as profitability goes, gross margin for the trailing twelve months is 6.90% percent. Vertex Energy Inc.’s EBITDA margin for the year ended June 29 was 5.50%, whereas its operating margin stood at 1.70% for the same period. Based on annual data, it had gross profit of $180.01 million and revenue of $2.79 billion.
Investors will also look at the performance of the company’s management in order to determine the potential profitability of their investment. VTNR’s return on assets (ROA) during the last 12 months has been 5.20%. There was a 14.10% return on investment (ROI) in the past year. In the meantime, the return on equity (ROE) for the last 12 months was 21.20%.
Earnings Surprise
According to Vertex Energy Inc.’s quarterly financial report for the quarter that ended June 29. A higher net income was reported in the quarter under review than the previous quarter. Net income for the quarter came in at $727.61 million, while revenues fell by -36.31% to $686.81 million. It was predicted that Vertex Energy Inc.’s quarterly earnings would be -$1.03, but it ended up being -$0.28, beating the consensus by -267.90%. EBITDA was $28.98 million for the quarter. At the end of Vertex Energy Inc.’s most recent quarter ended June 29, its liabilities totaled 613.71 million, while its total debt was $466.11 million. Equity owned by shareholders amounts to $93.29 million.
Technical Picture
Here’s a quick look at Vertex Energy Inc.’s (VTNR) price momentum from a technical perspective. As of 19 September, the RSI 9-day stood at 61.03%, suggesting the stock is Neutral, with a 47.81% historical volatility rate.
The stochastic %K and %D were 75.49% and 77.83% respectively, while the average true range (ATR) was 0.26. Based on the 14-day stochastic reading of 80.08%, the RSI (14) reading is 56.85%. On the 9-day MACD Oscillator, the stock is at -0.02, and the 14-day reading is at 0.19.
Analyst Ratings
Vertex Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: VTNR) was downgraded by Oppenheimer to a a Perform rating in its latest research report. The stock was previously rated as a an Outperform. Analysts have assigned Vertex Energy Inc. (VTNR) an Overweight rating. VTNR is a stock that is recommended for selling by 0 brokerage firms, while 3 companies recommend holding. The stock is underweighted by 0 analysts. Among the analysts who rate the stock, 0 rates it overweight and 4 others recommend it as a buy.
What is VTNR’s price target for the next 12 months?
The current consensus forecast for the stock is between $6.00 and $10.00, with a median target price of $8.00. In analyzing these forecasts, the average price target given by analysts for Vertex Energy Inc. (VTNR) is $7.92.
