Vertex (NASDAQ:VERX) Given New $25.00 Price Target at Citizens Jmp

Vertex (NASDAQ:VERX) had its price target lowered by equities research analysts at Citizens Jmp from $37.00 to $25.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “market outperform” rating on the stock. Citizens Jmp’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 103.25% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. JMP Securities set a $37.00 price target on Vertex in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on Vertex from $30.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group cut Vertex from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $16.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday. DA Davidson decreased their price target on Vertex from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Vertex in a research note on Thursday. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $25.56.

Vertex Stock Performance

Vertex stock traded down $0.53 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $12.30. 649,762 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,202,659. Vertex has a 12 month low of $12.24 and a 12 month high of $50.79. The firm has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -35.40, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $19.03 and a 200 day moving average of $22.51.

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

Vertex declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Monday, November 3rd that authorizes the company to buyback $150.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Vertex

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex by 44.6% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 892,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,136,000 after buying an additional 275,520 shares in the last quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Vertex by 40.3% in the 3rd quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC now owns 378,685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,388,000 after purchasing an additional 108,839 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Vertex by 231.0% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,567,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,448,000 after purchasing an additional 2,490,097 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of Vertex by 14.7% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 201,797 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,130,000 after purchasing an additional 25,812 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of Vertex by 58.9% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 308,435 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,899,000 after buying an additional 114,384 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.32% of the company’s stock.

Key Vertex News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vertex this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 / FY2025 results showed steady growth and margin improvement — Q4 revenue $194.7M (+9.1% YoY), ARR $671.0M (+11.3%), cloud revenue +23% (cloud = growth driver), non‑GAAP EPS $0.17 and adjusted EBITDA margin ~21.8%. Management highlighted e‑invoicing and AI product traction. Vertex Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: 2026 guidance is above consensus: full‑year revenue $823.5M–$831.5M (consensus ~ $795M) and guidance for 25% cloud growth — gives visible revenue runway into FY26. Vertex Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Capital return and confidence signal — company repurchased ~ $10M of stock in Q4 under a $150M authorization. Vertex Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings largely in line with expectations — GAAP net loss narrowed significantly (Q4 net loss $7.0M vs. $67.8M year‑ago); non‑GAAP measures look stronger, but GAAP metrics still show residual issues. Vertex Inc (VERX) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Management emphasized AI product rollouts (Smart Categorization) and regulatory tailwinds (e‑invoicing in Europe) — strategic upside but execution and adoption timelines are uncertain. Vertex Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cut price targets on release day — Piper Sandler lowered its PT to $14 (neutral) and Needham trimmed its PT to $20 (still a buy). Those downgrades and lower targets compress near‑term upside and can trigger selling pressure. Analyst Price Target Moves (Benzinga)
• Negative Sentiment: Customer retention and cash flow showed soft spots — net revenue retention fell to 105% (from 109%), GRR to 94%, and full‑year free cash flow fell to $47.6M (vs. $77.7M prior year), which reduces near‑term operating flexibility. Vertex Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Market concern around AI disruption and competitive risk persists (some investors view tax automation as vulnerable), which, combined with analyst PT cuts, likely amplified selling despite solid operating trends. (See contrarian takes that argue concerns are overstated.) Seeking Alpha: Buy At Ultracheap Multiples

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.