Vertex, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides enterprise tax technology solutions for retail trade, wholesale trade, and manufacturing industries in the United States and internationally.
Positioning no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
Options put/call open interest 0.12, read 2026-10-27
Ethical passes the values gate
Price14.80 USD
Fair value20.00
Ethical score70.0/100
Our investment reviews on this name
2026-10-11Read Accumulation12.01+23.2% to today ✓Markdown gives way to Accumulation
2026-10-02Read Markdown12.08+22.5% to today Markup gives way to Markdown
2026-07-02Read Markup12.28+20.5% to today ✓First review on file: Markup
Our analytic regime reads on this name, dated and marked against the screened price. Small sample per name, and separate from the daily-framework accuracy on the Track Record page.
Vertex, Inc. holds its Accumulation at $14.80. The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 37 days.
As held on the ledger · 2026-10-27
Phase
Accumulation
Quantitative state
The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 37 days
Price at the screen
$14.80
Valuation
1,467.00 trailing · 14.36 forward price to earnings
Values screen
PASS· score 70.0
Beta
0.83
The Workings
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Full pass across all five screens. This security clears the Titan Ethical Standard: its business and its balance sheet both stay inside the lines.
Test
Figure
Limit
What it means
Status
Business activity
Permissible
Core business clean
Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines: no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending.
Pass
Debt load
27.60%
Below 33%
Interest-bearing debt is just 27.6% of its assets, well under the one-third ceiling: it does not run on borrowed money.
Pass
Interest-bearing cash
0.00%
Below 33%
Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.0% of assets, under the one-third limit.
Pass
Receivables
39.14%
Below 49%
Money owed to the company is 39.1% of assets, under the 49% limit.
Pass
Revenue purity
0.70%
Below 5%
Only 0.7% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, under the 5% line.
Pass
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
The Ethical Read
Why It Clears, in Plain English
Vertex, clears all five screens. Its business is in a permissible area, its interest-bearing debt is about 28%, inside the ~33% line, and almost none of its income is interest, so it passes.
Read as at 2026-10-27. It updates when the underlying figures move, and past reads are kept below.
Follow this verdict
Get an email when VERX's ethical verdict changes
Today VERX passes the screen. If new figures move it to a fail, we send you one short email with the before and after. Verdicts change rarely, so you may not hear from us for a long time.
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Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-10-27 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. A 36.3% margin of safety to the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 13 covering, consensus Buy. The average target sits +8% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Both our model and the analysts see meaningful upside from here.
Price History & Projections
Where it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-10-27 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain Words
Tax Tech Firm Loses Money Despite Cheap Valuation
Every business dreads the tangle of sales tax rules across borders and products, and Vertex built software to handle the calculations. Yet the numbers tell a different story. Revenue grows at 11 percent while the company posts a negative profit margin and negative return on equity, so the low forward multiple of 12.3 times reflects real losses rather than a bargain.
We pass because the opportunity rating is none despite a calculated margin of safety to fair value. Analyst targets sit higher, but the business has yet to turn consistent profits or prove a durable moat in enterprise tax software.
The main risk is that negative returns continue if new customers cannot offset rising costs, leaving the valuation gap unclosed even if ethical screens are cleared. Analysis, not advice.
The risks · The main risks here are ordinary market swings and the chance our fair-value read proves too optimistic.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to Trade
VERX trades on Nasdaq. As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
The Dated Journal · Newest First, Never Edited
Every Entry, As Written
2026-10-28Accumulation$14.67+0.0%Entry 10
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 66%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (13 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $19. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-10-25Accumulation$14.67+7.4%Entry 9
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 7.4% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 66%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (13 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $19.
2026-10-18Accumulation$13.66+13.7%Entry 8
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 13.7% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 66%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (13 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $19.
The framework has shifted from markdown to accumulation since the last review. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.6% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 66%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (13 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $19.
2026-10-02Markdown · changed$12.08-6.3%Entry 6
The framework has shifted from markup to markdown since the last review. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 6.3% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 66%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (13 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $19.
2026-09-16Markup$12.89+4.8%Entry 5
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 4.8% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 66%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (13 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $19.
2026-08-16Markup$12.30+0.2%Entry 4
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 0.2% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 66%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (13 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $19.
2026-07-18Markup$12.28+0.0%Entry 3
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 66%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (13 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $19.
2026-07-03Markup$12.28+0.0%Entry 2
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.
2026-07-02Markup$12.28Entry 1
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
