Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) Shares Up 2.1% – Still a Buy?

Vertiv Holdings Co. (NYSE:VRT) shares were up 2.1% during trading on Thursday. The company traded as high as $249.53 and last traded at $246.3120. 3,464,974 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 46% from the average session volume of 6,418,857 shares. The stock had previously closed at $241.31.

Key Vertiv News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vertiv this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vertiv’s exposure to AI data centers remains the primary bullish catalyst. The company is expanding its liquid-cooling and power-management offerings, while rising demand for high-density computing infrastructure is supporting revenue growth and margin improvement. Vertiv Soars 49% YTD: Is This the Right Time to Buy the Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: The planned acquisition of Utility Innovation Group for approximately $1.45 billion in cash, plus potential EBITDA-based earn-outs, would move Vertiv further upstream toward grid connections and broaden its role in the AI power chain. Investors are also watching the company’s strategic acquisitions and longer-term earnings outlook. How Investors Are Reacting To Vertiv Holdings Co Expanding Its AI Power Chain Reach
• Positive Sentiment: Vertical Research initiated coverage with a Buy rating, adding to the favorable analyst sentiment around Vertiv’s growth prospects. Vertiv Holdings Gets a Buy from Vertical Research
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators are focused on whether Vertiv can continue its history of earnings surprises and deliver another consensus-beating quarterly report. The company’s recent quarter exceeded EPS expectations, but revenue came in below estimates, making execution important.
• Neutral Sentiment: At roughly 50 times trailing adjusted earnings, VRT’s valuation assumes substantial profit growth over the next several years. That supports momentum if AI demand remains strong, but leaves less room for operational disappointments. What Are Vertiv Investors Betting On?
• Negative Sentiment: Hagens Berman said it is investigating potential securities-law violations after Vertiv’s sharp decline following disappointing second-quarter results and unexpected execution challenges. The announcement could add headline and litigation risk, although it does not establish wrongdoing. VRT Alert from Hagens Berman

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VRT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings lowered Vertiv from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $370.00 price target on shares of Vertiv in a report on Thursday, July 30th. KeyCorp lowered their price objective on shares of Vertiv from $360.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Evercore set a $375.00 price objective on shares of Vertiv in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Vertiv from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $357.08.

Vertiv Stock Up 2.1%

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $262.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $290.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The company has a market capitalization of $94.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.73, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 2.07.

Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $3.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.38 billion. Vertiv had a return on equity of 50.47% and a net margin of 15.09%.Vertiv’s quarterly revenue was up 24.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. Vertiv has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.770-1.830 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-6.750 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vertiv Holdings Co. will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vertiv Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 14th were given a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 14th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. Vertiv’s dividend payout ratio is 5.66%.

Insider Activity at Vertiv

In other news, Director Edward Monser sold 15,287 shares of Vertiv stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.82, for a total transaction of $3,880,146.34. Following the sale, the director owned 16,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,188,030. The trade was a 48.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vertiv

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sankala Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertiv in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. MidFirst Bank acquired a new stake in Vertiv in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Sachetta LLC grew its position in Vertiv by 41.4% in the 1st quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 123 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in Vertiv by 60.5% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Center for Financial Planning Inc. increased its stake in Vertiv by 554.2% during the 1st quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the period. 89.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertiv Company Profile

Vertiv Holdings Co provides digital infrastructure and continuity solutions for data centers, communication networks, and other technology-intensive facilities. The company helps customers design, build, operate, and maintain infrastructure that supports the availability, performance, and efficiency of critical digital systems.

Its product portfolio includes power management and distribution equipment, uninterruptible power supplies, switchgear, busways, racks, integrated modular systems, and data center infrastructure.