Vertex (NASDAQ:VERX) Given New $14.00 Price Target at Piper Sandler

Vertex (NASDAQ:VERX) had its price target reduced by Piper Sandler from $20.00 to $14.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Piper Sandler currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

VERX has been the topic of several other reports. JMP Securities set a $37.00 price objective on shares of Vertex in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $16.00 price objective on Vertex in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Vertex from $30.00 to $24.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Vertex from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $16.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. 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%

Shares of VERX opened at $12.37 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $18.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $22.44. 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 company has a market cap of $1.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 309.33, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.59. Vertex has a 52-week low of $11.96 and a 52-week high of $50.79.

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, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.17. Vertex had a return on equity of 25.25% and a net margin of 0.96%.The business had revenue of $194.71 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $194.33 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.15 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Vertex will post 0.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vertex announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Monday, November 3rd that allows the company to repurchase $150.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vertex

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. DLD Asset Management LP acquired a new position in Vertex in the 2nd quarter valued at $300,348,000. Wasatch Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of Vertex in the second quarter valued at about $88,293,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Vertex by 231.0% in the third 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. Champlain Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Vertex during the second quarter worth about $60,381,000. Finally, Legacy Advisors LLC raised its stake in Vertex by 2,730.1% in the 3rd quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 1,343,779 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,312,000 after purchasing an additional 1,296,297 shares in the last quarter. 70.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertex News Summary

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.