Philadelphia, Pennsylvania--(Newsfile Corp. - May 19, 2023) - Berger Montague advises investors that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has been filed against Vertex Energy, Inc. ("Vertex") (NASDAQ: VTNR) on behalf of those who purchased Vertex securities between April 1, 2022 and August 8, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period").
Investor Deadline: Investors who purchased or acquired Vertex securities during the Class Period may, no later than June 12, 2023, seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class. For additional information or to learn how to participate in this litigation, please contact Berger Montague: James Maro at [email protected] or (215) 875-3093, or Andrew Abramowitz at [email protected] or (215) 875-3015, or visit: https://investigations.bergermontague.com/vertex-energy/.
Vertex is an energy company focused on the production and distribution of conventional and alternative fuels. Vertex's primary operations are located in Mobile, Alabama, where it owns and operates a 91,000 barrel-per-day refinery, and engages in the supply, marketing, and trading of feedstocks and products to support the company's operations. In early 2021, Vertex announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire an oil refinery located in Mobile, Alabama from Shell Oil. The refinery was viewed as a "transformative" acquisition for Vertex, expected to significantly increase the company's projected annual revenues.
On August 9, 2022, Vertex disclosed the massive losses incurred at the Mobile refinery during the second quarter of 2022. Vertex announced a net loss for the company of $63.8 million. Following this news, the price of Vertex common stock fell by $6.18 per share, or 44%, on August 9, 2022.
The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, the defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (a) prior to the acquisition of the Mobile refinery, defendants had entered into inventory and crack spread hedging derivatives that significantly capped the profit margins on 50% of the Mobile refinery's expected output over the period April 1, 2022 to September 30, 2022, affecting over 6.5 million barrels of refined fuel output; (b) prior to the acquisition of the Mobile refinery, defendants had entered into an inventory intermediation agreement with the investment bank Macquarie Group, whereby Macquarie purchased (from third parties), owned, and sold (to Vertex) all crude oil inventory to be used at the Mobile refinery and also purchased (from Vertex), owned, and sold (to third parties) all refined fuel inventory produced at the Mobile refinery; (c) prior to the acquisition of the Mobile refinery, defendants had entered into an inventory purchase agreement with Shell Oil as part of the Mobile acquisition agreement; (d) immediately following the acquisition of the Mobile refinery, Vertex experienced production issues that caused significant shortfalls in refined fuel volumes; (e) following the acquisition of the Mobile refinery, defendants overstated the purported profit margins that could be achieved at the refinery; and (f) as a result of the above misrepresentations and concealed facts, the Mobile refinery did not "generate[] strong EBITDA" "[d]uring the first 30 days of operations," and the Mobile refinery transition was not "seamless."
A lead plaintiff is a representative party that acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class member's claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Your ability to share in any recovery is not, however, affected by the decision whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. Any member of the purported class may move the Court to serve as a lead plaintiff through counsel of his/her choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an inactive class member.
Berger Montague, with offices in Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, and Toronto has been a pioneer in securities class action litigation since its founding in 1970. Berger Montague has represented individual and institutional investors for over five decades and serves as lead counsel in courts throughout the United States.
Contacts:
James Maro, Senior Counsel
Berger Montague
(215) 875-3093
[email protected]
Andrew Abramowitz, Senior Counsel
Berger Montague
(215) 875-3015
[email protected]
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/166795
