KBC Group NV Raises Stock Position in Vertiv Holdings Co. $VRT

Key Points

• KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Vertiv by 191.1% in Q4 to 206,102 shares (about 0.05% ownership) worth roughly $33.39 million.
• Market sentiment has turned notably bullish: BNP Paribas initiated coverage with an "outperform" and $345 target, Barclays and Citigroup raised price targets (to $300 and $340 respectively), and Vertiv completed the BMarko acquisition while analysts highlight a ~$15B backlog and strong AI data‑center exposure.
• Vertiv recently beat EPS estimates ($1.36 vs. $1.29) with revenue up 22.7% year‑over‑year and FY2026 guidance of 5.97–6.07 EPS, though insiders sold about 489,761 shares (~$123M) and the stock traded near $294 (down ~2.4%).

KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Vertiv Holdings Co. (NYSE:VRT - Free Report) by 191.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 206,102 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 135,313 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned about 0.05% of Vertiv worth $33,391,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. raised its holdings in Vertiv by 1,560.0% during the third quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 166 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Vertiv by 67.6% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 171 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of Vertiv by 54.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 194 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp raised its stake in shares of Vertiv by 624.0% during the 4th quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 181 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertiv during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.92% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Vertiv

Here are the key news stories impacting Vertiv this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BNP Paribas initiated coverage with an "outperform" and $345 price target, a sizable upside signal that supports further upside for VRT. BNP Paribas Initiates Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $300 (from $281) and kept an Overweight rating, reinforcing buy-side momentum into the earnings print. Barclays Raises Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Vertiv completed the acquisition of BMarko Structures to bring structural fabrication in-house, a strategic move aimed at faster, more customizable builds for AI data centers — strengthens execution on the AI infrastructure theme. Vertiv Brings BMarko In House
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and a Seeking Alpha deep dive highlight a $15B backlog, liquid-cooling leadership and underappreciated exposure to the AI infrastructure buildout — bullish fundamental narrative for growth and margin expansion. Seeking Alpha Analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup analyst coverage flagged potential upside, adding to the string of bullish analyst views this week. Citigroup Analyst Says Stock Price Expected to Rise
• Neutral Sentiment: Vertiv is set to report quarterly results next week; consensus expects earnings growth and some analysts see conditions for an earnings beat — the report is a near-term catalyst that could swing the stock either way. Vertiv Reports Next Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Preview coverage notes analysts positioning into the quarterly print; expect elevated volume/volatility around the release. Quarterly Results Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Vertiv from "strong-buy" to "hold," which represents a countervailing voice that can pressure the stock and encourage short-term profit-taking. Zacks Downgrades to Hold

Vertiv Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of VRT stock opened at $294.00 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $112.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 86.22, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 2.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $257.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $202.97. Vertiv Holdings Co. has a twelve month low of $65.93 and a twelve month high of $312.46.

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

Vertiv Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. Vertiv's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.33%.

Insider Transactions at Vertiv

In other Vertiv news, Director Jan Van Dokkum sold 38,647 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.87, for a total value of $9,849,960.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,371,750. The trade was a 60.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Anders Karlborg sold 30,487 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.92, for a total value of $7,527,850.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 34,746 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,579,482.32. This represents a 46.74% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 489,761 shares of company stock worth $123,356,815 in the last three months. 2.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on VRT. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Vertiv from $200.00 to $266.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $270.00 price target on shares of Vertiv in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $335.00 price target on shares of Vertiv in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Vertiv from $286.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Vertiv from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $249.62.

Vertiv Profile

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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