Franklin Resources Inc. Raises Stake in Vertiv Holdings Co. $VRT

Key Points

• Franklin Resources raised its stake in Vertiv by 6.1% to 1,122,130 shares (about 0.29% of the company), worth roughly $169.3 million at the end of the quarter.
• Insiders have been heavy sellers recently—including Chairman David Cote and Director Jan Van Dokkum—with 489,761 shares sold over the last three months worth about $123.4 million, though corporate insiders still own 2.63%.
• Vertiv is receiving bullish analyst coverage and benefiting from AI‑infrastructure tailwinds (notably the launch of the OneCore digital‑twin platform), backed by an earnings beat, raised guidance, and a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating.

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Vertiv Holdings Co. (NYSE:VRT - Free Report) by 6.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,122,130 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 64,755 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.29% of Vertiv worth $169,285,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Vertiv during the 3rd quarter valued at about $154,000. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC boosted its position in Vertiv by 87.7% during the third quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 476,277 shares of the company's stock valued at $71,851,000 after purchasing an additional 222,527 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in shares of Vertiv by 39.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 304,965 shares of the company's stock worth $46,007,000 after buying an additional 86,614 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in Vertiv by 5.2% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,110,852 shares of the company's stock worth $318,443,000 after purchasing an additional 104,921 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vestcor Inc grew its stake in Vertiv by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 15,501 shares of the company's stock worth $2,338,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.92% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman David M. Cote sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.29, for a total value of $10,211,600.00. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 22,258 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,682,244.82. This trade represents a 64.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jan Van Dokkum sold 38,647 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.87, for a total transaction of $9,849,960.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,000 shares in the company, valued at $6,371,750. This trade represents a 60.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 489,761 shares of company stock valued at $123,356,815. Corporate insiders own 2.63% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on VRT shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $285.00 target price on shares of Vertiv in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings raised Vertiv from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Vertiv in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Vertiv from $198.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of Vertiv from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $230.28.

Key Vertiv News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vertiv this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vertiv launched the OneCore digital‑twin platform aimed at accelerating high‑density AI data center builds — a product move that directly targets the fast‑growing AI infrastructure market and supports revenue leverage over coming years. Vertiv (VRT) Debuts OneCore Digital Twin Platform for AI Data Centers
• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile bullish coverage (including Jim Cramer) and positive features highlight Vertiv as a top AI/data‑center play, which tends to attract momentum and retail/trading flows. Jim Cramer on Vertiv Holdings: “What a Stock, What a Company”
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and media coverage emphasizes Vertiv’s outperformance versus peers on execution and AI tailwinds — articles argue the company is outpacing competitors, supporting a longer‑term growth narrative. Why Vertiv Is Outpacing Every Competitor
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst‑focused pieces (Zacks, Yahoo synthesis) highlight recent rally among AI‑infrastructure names and flag Vertiv as carrying favorable momentum/rankings, implying further upside potential if AI capex continues. The Zacks Analyst Blog Vertiv, HubSpot, Dell, Keysight and Cognex
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat included Vertiv among megatrend beneficiaries (AI, cloud, clean energy), reinforcing the structural demand story for data‑center infrastructure over the next decade. Megatrends Still Matter: 3 Growth Stocks for the Next 10 Years (VRT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage assessing valuation and consensus ratings notes a consensus around a “moderate buy” and elevated multiples (reflecting growth expectations). This keeps the stock vulnerable to changes in execution or interest‑rate sentiment. Vertiv Holdings Co. NYSE: VRT Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: A company director sold about $18.97 million of VRT stock — a large insider sale that likely triggered near‑term selling/lock‑in by other holders and contributed to downward pressure on the share price today. Vertiv NYSE: VRT Director Sells $18,974,904.06 in Stock

Vertiv Price Performance

Vertiv stock opened at $265.33 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $211.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $179.31. Vertiv Holdings Co. has a 1 year low of $53.60 and a 1 year high of $276.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 77.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 2.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.55.

Vertiv (NYSE:VRT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.07. Vertiv had a net margin of 13.03% and a return on equity of 49.55%. The business had revenue of $2.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.99 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. Vertiv has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.950-1.010 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.970-6.070 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vertiv Holdings Co. will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vertiv Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. Vertiv's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.33%.

About Vertiv

Vertiv is a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions for data centers, communication networks and commercial and industrial environments. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, the company designs, manufactures and services equipment and software that support power availability, thermal management and IT infrastructure management for a broad set of end markets, including hyperscale and enterprise data centers, colocation providers, telecom operators and industrial customers.

The company's product portfolio includes uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), power distribution units (PDUs), battery and DC power systems, precision cooling and thermal management equipment, racks and enclosures, and integrated modular infrastructure.

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