Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) Upgraded at BMO Capital Markets

BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Sunday morning,Zacks reports.

VRT has been the subject of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Vertiv from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Vertiv from $418.00 to $337.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Vertiv from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 19th. Piper Sandler set a $375.00 price target on shares of Vertiv in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $370.00 price target on shares of Vertiv in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.24.

Vertiv Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VRT opened at $253.02 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $259.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $290.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.38. Vertiv has a 52 week low of $147.82 and a 52 week high of $379.93. The firm has a market cap of $97.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.24, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 2.05.

Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.09. Vertiv had a return on equity of 50.47% and a net margin of 15.09%.The firm had revenue of $3.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.1% on a year-over-year basis. Vertiv has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.770-1.830 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-6.750 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Vertiv will post 6.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vertiv Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 14th were issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 14th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. Vertiv’s payout ratio is presently 5.66%.

Insider Activity at Vertiv

In related news, Director Edward Monser sold 15,287 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.82, for a total value of $3,880,146.34. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 16,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,188,030. This trade represents a 48.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vertiv

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vertiv in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $594,000. Eastern Bank lifted its position in Vertiv by 3.7% in the third quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 6,665 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,608,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the period. Rockland Trust Co. lifted its position in Vertiv by 8.1% in the third quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 2,549 shares of the company’s stock worth $615,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. Polaris Financial Partners acquired a new stake in Vertiv during the third quarter worth $4,227,000. Finally, CX Institutional increased its holdings in Vertiv by 750.0% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $127,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the period. 89.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Vertiv News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vertiv this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BMO turns more bullish: BMO Capital Markets upgraded Vertiv to “strong buy” after initiating coverage with an “outperform” rating and a $329 price target. The target suggests meaningful upside from the stock’s recent trading level and reflects confidence in Vertiv’s exposure to data-center and AI infrastructure spending. BMO Capital Initiates Vertiv Holdings at Outperform With $329 Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: AI cooling demand remains a growth catalyst: A recent analysis highlighted that increasingly powerful AI chips generate heat that air-cooling systems cannot efficiently manage. Vertiv’s liquid-cooling and thermal-management products could benefit as data-center operators invest to prevent performance losses and equipment damage. The Overlooked AI Stock Poised to Outperform Nvidia and Palantir
• Neutral Sentiment: Operations leadership change: Michael Resha joined Vertiv as executive vice president of manufacturing, logistics and operational excellence. He will oversee efforts to improve manufacturing and supply-chain execution as AI and high-density computing drive demand. His predecessor, Anders Karlborg, will support the transition in a new special-operations role. Vertiv Appoints Michael Resha to Lead Global Manufacturing and Operational Excellence
• Negative Sentiment: New bearish coverage: GLJ Research began coverage with a “sell” rating and a $188 price target, implying approximately 25.7% downside from the recent $253.02 level. The call presents a significant challenge to BMO’s bullish outlook and may weigh on investor sentiment, particularly given Vertiv’s elevated valuation and shares’ position below the 200-day moving average. Vertiv Now Covered by GLJ Research

About Vertiv

Vertiv Holdings Co provides digital infrastructure and continuity solutions for data centers, communication networks, and other technology-intensive facilities. The company helps customers design, build, operate, and maintain infrastructure that supports the availability, performance, and efficiency of critical digital systems.

Its product portfolio includes power management and distribution equipment, uninterruptible power supplies, switchgear, busways, racks, integrated modular systems, and data center infrastructure.