Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) Downgraded to "Hold" Rating by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Vertiv has been downgraded by Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" to a "hold" rating, reflecting a shift in investor sentiment.
• Despite the downgrade, other analysts maintain positive outlooks, with one firm rating it as a "buy" and setting a price target of $165.00.
• Insider selling activity has been notable, with directors selling significant shares, indicating potential concerns about future performance.

Vertiv (NYSE:VRT - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Melius upgraded shares of Vertiv from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $165.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Vertiv from $140.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Glj Research started coverage on shares of Vertiv in a research note on Tuesday, August 19th. They set a "sell" rating and a $112.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Vertiv in a research note on Sunday, August 10th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Vertiv to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $144.95.

Vertiv Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE VRT opened at $160.45 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.35. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $137.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.78. The company has a market capitalization of $61.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 76.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.84. Vertiv has a 12 month low of $53.60 and a 12 month high of $168.99.

Vertiv (NYSE:VRT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $2.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.36 billion. Vertiv had a net margin of 8.93% and a return on equity of 51.64%. The company's revenue was up 35.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.67 EPS. Vertiv has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 0.940-1.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vertiv will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jakki L. Haussler sold 15,680 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total value of $1,943,065.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,631 shares in the company, valued at $573,873.52. This trade represents a 77.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Karsten Winther sold 41,654 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.21, for a total transaction of $5,590,383.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 18,848 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,529,590.08. This represents a 68.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 180,952 shares of company stock worth $23,360,571 over the last quarter. Insiders own 2.63% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vertiv

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GW&K Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vertiv in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vertiv in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. SouthState Corp purchased a new position in Vertiv during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Avion Wealth increased its holdings in Vertiv by 99.1% during the 2nd quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 213 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, North Star Investment Management Corp. increased its holdings in Vertiv by 4,120.0% during the 1st quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 422 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 412 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.92% of the company's stock.

About Vertiv

Vertiv Holdings Co, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and services critical digital infrastructure technologies and life cycle services for data centers, communication networks, and commercial and industrial environments in the Americas, the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

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