Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) Shares Up 7.7% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Vertiv shares rose 7.7% intraday to about $330 after the company reported Q1 EPS of $1.17 (vs. $1.00 consensus) and revenue of $2.65B, up 30.1% year-over-year, and issued Q2 and FY 2026 EPS guidance of 1.370–1.430 and 6.300–6.400 respectively.
• Analysts turned more bullish with multiple firms raising price targets (TD Cowen, JPMorgan, Evercore, Roth MKM), 21 of 26 analysts rating the stock a Buy, and several targets rising as high as $350 despite a consensus target of $278.38.
• Notable insider selling occurred in late February—directors sold large stakes and insiders sold 489,761 shares worth about $123.4M last quarter, while insiders still own roughly 5.01% of the company.

Shares of Vertiv Holdings Co. (NYSE:VRT - Get Free Report) rose 7.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $330.00 and last traded at $329.6760. Approximately 6,234,700 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 14% from the average daily volume of 7,277,421 shares. The stock had previously closed at $306.18.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on VRT shares. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $350.00 price target on shares of Vertiv in a research note on Monday, April 20th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Vertiv from $269.00 to $347.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $335.00 price target on shares of Vertiv in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Mizuho upped their price target on Vertiv from $198.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Vertiv from $305.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $278.38.

Vertiv Trading Up 7.7%

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $272.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $212.87. The firm has a market cap of $126.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 82.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 2.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.49.

Vertiv (NYSE:VRT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.17. Vertiv had a return on equity of 49.90% and a net margin of 14.37%.The firm had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. Vertiv's revenue was up 30.1% on a year-over-year basis. Vertiv has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.370-1.430 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.300-6.400 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Vertiv Holdings Co. will post 6.42 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 dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. Vertiv's dividend payout ratio is presently 6.28%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Roger Fradin sold 101,667 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.42, for a total transaction of $25,764,451.14. Following the transaction, the director owned 40,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,136,800. This represents a 71.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven Reinemund sold 65,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.95, for a total value of $16,506,750.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 68,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,353,165.35. The trade was a 48.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 489,761 shares of company stock worth $123,356,815 in the last quarter. Insiders own 5.01% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vertiv

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VRT. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its position in Vertiv by 58.3% in the 4th quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 152 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC acquired a new stake in Vertiv in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position in 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. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new stake in Vertiv in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in Vertiv by 67.6% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 171 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.92% of the company's stock.

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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