Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) Shares Down 6.2% on Analyst Downgrade

Vertiv Holdings Co. (NYSE:VRT)’s share price was down 6.2% during trading on Wednesday after Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on the stock from $337.00 to $323.00. Royal Bank Of Canada currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Vertiv traded as low as $220.21 and last traded at $222.5660. 7,294,768 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 15% from the average daily volume of 6,343,291 shares. The stock had previously closed at $237.29.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Vertiv from $331.00 to $323.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Vertiv from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Vertiv from $440.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Vertiv from $387.00 to $356.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Vertiv from $414.00 to $358.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $337.15.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertiv

In other Vertiv news, Director Edward Monser sold 15,287 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.82, for a total transaction of $3,880,146.34. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 16,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,188,030. The trade was a 48.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal 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. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

More Vertiv News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vertiv this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vertiv and Deloitte’s Center for Integrated Research introduced a collaboration and an AI infrastructure guide designed to help enterprises move AI projects from pilots into production. The workload-based framework could support demand for Vertiv’s power, cooling and data-center infrastructure as companies scale AI deployments. Vertiv Helps Enterprises Move from AI Pilots to Production
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada maintained an “outperform” rating, indicating continued confidence in Vertiv’s long-term growth prospects despite reducing its price target from $337 to $323. The revised target still implies substantial upside from the referenced share price. Royal Bank of Canada price target update
• Positive Sentiment: Recent Zacks commentary continues to identify VRT as a long-term growth and momentum stock, supported by strong demand for AI-related infrastructure. Vertiv is also highlighted as a dividend-paying way to gain AI exposure. Why Vertiv is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Vertiv will release its third-quarter 2026 results before the market opens on October 28, followed by a conference call. The upcoming report is a potential catalyst, particularly as investors assess AI demand and the company’s previously issued full-year earnings guidance. Vertiv Announces Third Quarter 2026 Earnings Date
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst comparisons acknowledge Vertiv’s AI infrastructure opportunity but favor Amphenol because of its stronger recent stock performance and more diversified portfolio. That relative-investment view may be weighing on VRT sentiment. Vertiv vs. Amphenol

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vertiv

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp lifted its position in Vertiv by 4.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,531,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,535,087,000 after buying an additional 704,970 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Vertiv by 14.1% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,794,360 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,270,428,000 after buying an additional 468,380 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Vertiv by 1.9% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,709,276 shares of the company’s stock worth $678,890,000 after acquiring an additional 51,328 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Vertiv by 33.7% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,410,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $604,059,000 after acquiring an additional 608,176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of Vertiv by 1.1% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,138,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $716,169,000 after acquiring an additional 23,444 shares in the last quarter. 89.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertiv Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $259.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $289.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market cap of $85.69 billion, a PE ratio of 50.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.09. Vertiv had a net margin of 15.09% and a return on equity of 50.47%. The business had revenue of $3.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue 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 analysts forecast that Vertiv Holdings Co. 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 14th were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 14th. Vertiv’s payout ratio is currently 5.66%.

Vertiv Company Profile

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.