Vertiv Holdings Co. (NYSE:VRT) Short Interest Up 42.6% in March

Key Points

• Short interest up 42.6% — short interest rose to 8,912,395 shares as of March 13 (about 2.5% of shares) with a short-interest ratio of 1.1 days, signaling increased bearish bets on VRT.
• Significant insider selling — directors Jan Van Dokkum and Edward L. Monser sold large blocks (about $9.85M and $18.97M respectively), and insiders have sold 489,761 shares worth $123.36M in the last 90 days, leaving insiders with 2.63% ownership.
• Fundamentals and sentiment remain mixed: Vertiv beat quarterly EPS estimates and set FY26 guidance of 5.97–6.07 EPS, while analysts hold a consensus Moderate Buy with an average target of $235.26 and the stock trading around $251 with a high P/E ratio (~73.6).

Vertiv Holdings Co. (NYSE:VRT - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 8,912,395 shares, a growth of 42.6% from the February 26th total of 6,251,544 shares. Approximately 2.5% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 8,389,609 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.1 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jan Van Dokkum sold 38,647 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director directly owned 25,000 shares in the company, valued at $6,371,750. This represents a 60.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Edward L. Monser sold 77,294 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.49, for a total transaction of $18,974,904.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 16,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,050,585. This represents a 82.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 489,761 shares of company stock worth $123,356,815. 2.63% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vertiv

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRT. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Vertiv by 58.3% in the fourth quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 152 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Sankala Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vertiv during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vertiv by 211.3% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 165 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. raised its holdings in Vertiv by 1,560.0% in the 3rd 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 period. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new position in Vertiv in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. 89.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vertiv Stock Performance

VRT traded down $1.33 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $251.07. 5,436,764 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,661,948. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $231.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $190.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 73.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 2.02. Vertiv has a 1-year low of $53.60 and a 1-year high of $282.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

Vertiv (NYSE:VRT - Get Free Report) last issued 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. The firm had revenue of $2.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.89 billion. Vertiv had a return on equity of 49.55% and a net margin of 13.03%.The company's revenue was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.99 earnings per share. 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, sell-side analysts predict that Vertiv will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. Vertiv's payout ratio is currently 7.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VRT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Vertiv from $198.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. HSBC initiated coverage on Vertiv in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $325.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Vertiv in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Vertiv from $204.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Vertiv in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $235.26.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.