Needham & Company LLC Lowers Vertex (NASDAQ:VERX) Price Target to $20.00

Vertex (NASDAQ:VERX) had its price objective reduced by research analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $30.00 to $20.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 53.44% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on VERX. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $25.00 price target on shares of Vertex in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on Vertex from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Vertex in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Citizens Jmp dropped their target price on Vertex from $50.00 to $37.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Vertex from $30.00 to $24.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $30.93.

Vertex Price Performance

Shares of VERX traded down $1.85 on Wednesday, hitting $13.03. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,720,031 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,140,236. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $19.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.58. Vertex has a fifty-two week low of $12.52 and a fifty-two week high of $52.74. The company has a market capitalization of $2.08 billion, a PE ratio of -36.94, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Vertex (NASDAQ:VERX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.17. The firm had revenue of $194.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $194.33 million. Vertex had a positive return on equity of 26.84% and a negative net margin of 7.32%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.15 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Vertex will post 0.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vertex announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Monday, November 3rd that permits the company to repurchase $150.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vertex

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Palladiem LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex in the fourth quarter worth $88,000. State of Wyoming raised its stake in Vertex by 87.6% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 12,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 5,666 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Vertex by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,792,864 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,810,000 after acquiring an additional 93,184 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP grew its stake in Vertex by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 136,032 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,717,000 after acquiring an additional 25,507 shares during the period. Finally, Summitry LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vertex by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Summitry LLC now owns 11,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $228,000 after acquiring an additional 1,748 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.32% of the company’s stock.

More Vertex News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vertex this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management raised full?year 2026 revenue and profitability targets — guidance of $823.5M–$831.5M in revenue and Adjusted EBITDA of $188M–$192M, above consensus revenue expectations, signaling confidence in growth and margin expansion. Vertex Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying operational momentum: Q4 ARR rose 11.3% to $671.0M, cloud revenue grew ~23% YoY, full?year revenue +12.2%, and Adjusted EBITDA margins improved — evidence of recurring subscription and cloud lift. Vertex, Inc. Reports Q4 and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Value case highlighted by some analysts: a recent note argues VERX trades at depressed multiples after a ~70% multi?year decline and that AI disruption fears may be overstated given the complexity of tax compliance — a contrarian buy thesis for long?term investors. Vertex: Buy At Ultracheap Multiples, Product Is Safe From AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results largely matched Street estimates (Non?GAAP EPS $0.17; revenue $194.7M roughly in line), so the quarter itself was not a surprise. Vertex (VERX) Q4 Earnings Match Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 2026 revenue guide ($193.5M–$196.5M) is essentially in line with quarterly expectations, so near?term revenue risk appears moderate. Vertex Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP and cash?flow concerns: Q4 GAAP net loss of $7.0M (improved y/y) and full?year free cash flow declined to $47.6M from $77.7M — investors focused on cash conversion and quality of earnings may be cautious. Vertex, Inc. Reports Q4 and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Customer retention showed some softening: Net Revenue Retention fell to 105% (from 109%) and GRR to 94% — flagging less expansion across the installed base which could pressure future growth. Vertex Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Market skepticism persists: the stock has a history of a large decline and some investors remain worried about AI/competitive disruption and the reliance on non?GAAP metrics (management notes they cannot reconcile forward Adjusted EBITDA to GAAP without unreasonable effort), which can amplify post?earnings selling. Vertex: Buy At Ultracheap Multiples, Product Is Safe From AI

About Vertex

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.