Needham & Company LLC Has Lowered Expectations for Vertex (NASDAQ:VERX) Stock Price

Vertex (NASDAQ:VERX) had its price target decreased by equities research analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $30.00 to $20.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 61.68% from the stock’s previous close.

VERX has been the subject of several other research reports. JMP Securities set a $37.00 price target on Vertex in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Vertex from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Vertex in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Vertex from a “market outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Vertex from $28.00 to $23.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $23.94.

Vertex Trading Down 3.6%

NASDAQ VERX opened at $12.37 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $18.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.44. Vertex has a one year low of $11.96 and a one year high of $50.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01. The firm has a market cap of $1.97 billion, a PE ratio of 309.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.59.

Vertex (NASDAQ:VERX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.17. The firm had revenue of $194.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $194.33 million. Vertex had a return on equity of 25.25% and a net margin of 0.96%.The business’s revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.15 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Vertex will post 0.38 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Institutional Trading of Vertex

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VERX. DLD Asset Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Vertex in the second quarter valued at $300,348,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Vertex by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,387,126 shares of the company’s stock valued at $207,917,000 after acquiring an additional 689,143 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Vertex by 231.0% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,567,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,448,000 after acquiring an additional 2,490,097 shares in the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Vertex by 15.3% during the second quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,398,435 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,084,000 after acquiring an additional 450,695 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneva Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex by 47.7% in the second quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 3,017,735 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,632,000 after purchasing an additional 974,530 shares in the last quarter. 70.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Vertex News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vertex this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vertex reported solid Q4 and full‑year 2025 results: revenue +9.1% YoY in Q4 ($194.7M), full‑year revenue +12.2% ($748.4M), cloud revenue +27.9% and a return to net income for the year. Management reiterated strong 2026 guidance (revenues $823.5M–$831.5M, ~25% cloud growth, higher adjusted EBITDA) and executed a ~$10M buyback—these are constructive for medium‑term growth and margin improvement. Vertex Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain bullish despite cuts—Citizens JMP left a “market outperform” stance with a $25 target and Needham kept a “buy” rating (PT lowered to $20), signaling that parts of the Street still see significant upside if execution continues. Analyst Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Management highlighted AI product initiatives (Smart Categorization) and e‑invoicing tailwinds in Europe on the earnings call — strategic positives but early in commercial ramp; see call notes/transcript for details. Q4 Earnings Call Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 non‑GAAP metrics improved (Adjusted EBITDA margin ~21.8%, non‑GAAP EPS $0.17) but the company’s free cash flow weakened versus prior year—mixed operational signal for valuation. Quiver Quant Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple firms cut price targets this morning — Citigroup (PT $22 → $15, neutral), Piper Sandler ($20 → $14, neutral) and others trimmed targets. Those cuts increase near‑term selling pressure and reflect concern about growth/loss of investor confidence even though guidance was solid. Analyst Price Target Cuts
• Negative Sentiment: Customer‑retention metrics ticked down (NRR 105% from 109%, GRR 94% from 95%) and free cash flow fell year‑over‑year — potential signs of pressure on upsell/renewals and cash conversion that could cap near‑term multiple expansion. Financial Results

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.