(MENAFN- ACCESSWIRE) NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / June 8, 2023 / The securities litigation law firm of The Gross Law Firm issues the following notice on behalf of shareholders in the following publicly traded companies. Shareholders who purchased shares in the following companies during the dates listed are encouraged to contact the firm regarding possible Lead Plaintiff appointment. Appointment as Lead Plaintiff is not required to partake in any recovery. Vertex Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:VTNR)
Investors Affected : April 1, 2022 - August 8, 2022
A class action has commenced on behalf of certain shareholders in Vertex Energy, Inc. The filed complaint alleges that defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (a) prior to the acquisition of the oil refinery in Mobile, Alabama, 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. These hedges severely limited Vertex's ability to capitalize on the record-high crack spreads that existed at the time of the acquisition and resulted in over $90 million in losses in the second quarter of fiscal year 2022; (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. The strict terms of the arrangement, including requiring Vertex to purchase hedges to protect Macquarie's position in holding the crude and refined inventory, combined with the fact that the oil market was in a state of backwardation in early 2022, resulted in Vertex incurring significant fees and inventory losses. The losses, which began as of the April 1, 2022 acquisition date, totaled $23 million during the second quarter of fiscal year 2022; (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. Vertex had anticipated purchasing approximately $100 million of crude oil and refined fuel inventory. Immediately prior to the closing of the acquisition, Vertex learned that pursuant to the terms of the purchase agreement, it would be required to purchase substantially more inventory from Shell Oil, totaling $164 million. Due to the state of backwardation in the oil market, Vertex was forced to pay Shell Oil above-market prices for the additional crude oil inventory. The additional Shell Oil inventory purchase triggered $13.3 million in inventory losses at or around the time of the acquisition; (d) immediately following the acquisition of the Mobile refinery, Vertex experienced production issues that caused significant shortfalls in refined fuel volumes. The production issues resulted in $8 million of lost profits during the second quarter of fiscal year 2022; (e) following the acquisition of the Mobile refinery, defendants overstated the purported profit margins that could be achieved at the refinery. Defendants represented that the "3-2-1 crack spread" was the appropriate benchmark for the Mobile refinery; however it was later revealed that the "2-1-1 crack spread," which resulted in lower profits per barrel of production, was the more accurate profit benchmark for the Mobile 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."
Shareholders may find more information at
LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPSN)
Investors Affected : May 10, 2022 - March 16, 2023
A class action has commenced on behalf of certain shareholders in LivePerson, Inc. The filed complaint alleges that defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) LivePerson failed to address any material weaknesses with internal controls; (2) LivePerson's third quarter financial statements, ended in September 30, 2022 failed to disclose its subsidiary, WildHealth's, suspension of Medicare reimbursement; (3) as a result, LivePerson's fourth quarter 2022 revenue would be affected; and (4) as a result, defendants' statements about its business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.
Shareholders may find more information at
NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)
Investors Affected : December 2, 2021 - February 1, 2023
A class action has commenced on behalf of certain shareholders in NextEra Energy, Inc. The filed complaint alleges that defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Florida Power and Light Company's surreptitious orchestration of political misconduct exposed NEE to substantial legal and reputational risk; and (2) in light of the above, defendant's positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.
Shareholders may find more information at
The Gross Law Firm is committed to ensuring that companies adhere to responsible business practices and engage in good corporate citizenship. The firm seeks recovery on behalf of investors who incurred losses when false and/or misleading statements or the omission of material information by a Company lead to artificial inflation of the Company's stock. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
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The Gross Law Firm
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New York, NY, 10018
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (212) 537-9430
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SOURCE: The Gross Law Firm