Baird Financial Group Inc. Trims Holdings in Vertiv Holdings Co. $VRT

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group reduced its Vertiv stake by 18.5% in the second quarter, selling 34,408 shares and retaining 151,844 shares valued at approximately $50.8 million.
• Institutional ownership remains substantial at 89.92%, with several major investors—including California State Teachers Retirement System, Marshall Wace and Alkeon Capital—significantly increasing their positions.
• Vertiv’s latest earnings beat estimates at $1.52 per share, while revenue rose 24.1% year over year to $3.27 billion but missed forecasts. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with a $357.83 target price, compared with a share price of $262.70.

Baird Financial Group Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Vertiv Holdings Co. (NYSE:VRT - Free Report) by 18.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 151,844 shares of the company's stock after selling 34,408 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Vertiv were worth $50,841,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VRT. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in Vertiv by 33,242.5% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 185,501,329 shares of the company's stock worth $62,109,555,000 after purchasing an additional 184,944,978 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Vertiv in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $808,701,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in Vertiv by 265.6% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,670,007 shares of the company's stock valued at $432,568,000 after acquiring an additional 1,939,749 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in Vertiv during the second quarter valued at approximately $441,083,000. Finally, Alkeon Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Vertiv by 178.2% during the 4th quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,003,110 shares of the company's stock worth $324,524,000 after acquiring an additional 1,283,110 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.92% of the company's stock.

Vertiv Price Performance

Shares of Vertiv stock opened at $262.70 on Thursday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $280.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $291.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.14 billion, a PE ratio of 59.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 2.07. Vertiv Holdings Co. has a 12 month low of $132.68 and a 12 month high of $379.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Vertiv (NYSE:VRT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.09. Vertiv had a return on equity of 50.47% and a net margin of 15.09%.The business had revenue of $3.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. Vertiv's revenue for the quarter was up 24.1% on a year-over-year basis. Vertiv has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.770-1.830 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-6.750 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Vertiv Holdings Co. will post 6.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vertiv Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 14th will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 14th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. Vertiv's dividend payout ratio is 5.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital initiated coverage on shares of Vertiv in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Vertiv from $345.00 to $412.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Evercore set a $375.00 price target on shares of Vertiv in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $320.00 price objective on Vertiv in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler set a $375.00 price objective on Vertiv in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vertiv presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $357.83.

Trending Headlines about Vertiv

Here are the key news stories impacting Vertiv this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Expansion into power infrastructure: Vertiv agreed to acquire UtilityInnovation Holdings for approximately $1.45 billion in cash, plus up to $1.15 billion in contingent consideration. The deal could strengthen Vertiv’s position in utility and power-delivery infrastructure supporting data-center growth and accelerate customer deployments. Vertiv UtilityInnovation acquisition analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive: Coverage of Vertiv’s average brokerage recommendation indicates a favorable rating, and the company continues to receive attention as a momentum stock tied to long-term AI data-center infrastructure demand. Wall Street view on Vertiv
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed earnings picture: Vertiv’s latest quarterly results included adjusted earnings of $1.52 per share, above the $1.43 consensus estimate, while revenue of $3.27 billion fell short of the $3.38 billion forecast. Revenue still increased 24.1% year over year, supporting the broader AI infrastructure growth thesis.
• Neutral Sentiment: Limited rating support: Jefferies maintained a Hold rating, suggesting analysts see meaningful growth potential but also believe the current valuation and execution risks are already reflected to some extent. Jefferies maintains Hold rating
• Negative Sentiment: Acquisition and valuation concerns: The transaction requires substantial upfront cash and additional payments tied to performance. With Vertiv trading at a high earnings multiple, investors may be demanding clearer evidence that the acquisition will generate sufficient returns, contributing to the stock’s decline. Why Vertiv underperformed the market

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Edward Monser sold 15,287 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.82, for a total value of $3,880,146.34. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 16,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,188,030. This represents a 48.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

About Vertiv

Vertiv Holdings Co NYSE: VRT designs, manufactures and services critical digital infrastructure that helps data centers, communications networks and other facilities operate reliably and efficiently. Its solutions support the availability, performance and growth of information technology systems.

The company's products and services include power management and distribution equipment, uninterruptible power supplies, thermal management and cooling systems, racks and integrated infrastructure, monitoring and management software, and lifecycle services.

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