Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) Stock Gets Downgrade from Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Vertiv from “buy” to “hold,” although the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $335.67.
• Vertiv shares were trading down 4.0% at $206.07, well below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, amid a 52-week range of $147.82 to $379.93.
• The company exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $1.52 versus the $1.43 consensus, while revenue rose 24.1% year over year to $3.27 billion; institutional investors own nearly 90% of the stock.

Vertiv (NYSE:VRT - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on VRT. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Vertiv in a report on Sunday, October 4th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $329.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $325.00 price objective (down from $353.00) on shares of Vertiv in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Evercore set a $375.00 price objective on Vertiv in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price objective on Vertiv from $380.00 to $365.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, HSBC reduced their target price on Vertiv from $376.00 to $365.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $335.67.

Vertiv Trading Down 4.0%

NYSE VRT opened at $206.07 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 2.05. Vertiv has a 52-week low of $147.82 and a 52-week high of $379.93. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $255.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $288.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Vertiv (NYSE:VRT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.09. Vertiv had a net margin of 15.09% and a return on equity of 50.47%. The firm had revenue of $3.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 24.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Vertiv has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.770-1.830 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-6.750 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Vertiv will post 6.73 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Edward Monser sold 15,287 shares of Vertiv stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.82, for a total transaction of $3,880,146.34. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 16,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,188,030. This trade represents a 48.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vertiv

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in Vertiv during the second quarter worth $441,083,000. State Street Corp boosted its position in Vertiv by 4.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,531,530 shares of the company's stock worth $5,535,087,000 after purchasing an additional 704,970 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Vertiv by 33.7% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,410,642 shares of the company's stock valued at $604,059,000 after purchasing an additional 608,176 shares during the last quarter. OP Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Vertiv in the first quarter valued at $119,633,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Vertiv by 14.1% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,794,360 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,270,428,000 after buying an additional 468,380 shares in the last quarter. 89.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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