Vertiv Holdings Co. experienced a decline of 1.1% in its stock price on Wednesday, trading as low as $172.70 before closing at $178.89. The stock’s trading volume reached 5,008,001 shares, a significant 42% decrease from its average session volume of 8,656,579 shares. The previous closing price for Vertiv was $180.91.
Analysts have recently taken a closer look at Vertiv’s performance. On October 23, TD Cowen raised its price target for the stock from $162.00 to $210.00, assigning a “buy” rating. Morgan Stanley followed suit, increasing its target from $165.00 to $200.00, with an “overweight” rating. Evercore ISI also adjusted its price target from $180.00 to $200.00, labeling the stock as “outperform.”
Cfra Research upgraded Vertiv to a “moderate buy” rating on October 7, while Mizuho increased its target from $165.00 to $198.00 on October 17. Overall, two analysts have given the stock a Strong Buy rating, while twenty-one assigned it a Buy rating, five opted for a Hold rating, and one issued a Sell rating. According to data from MarketBeat, Vertiv currently holds an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $177.86.
Quarterly Earnings and Future Guidance
On October 22, Vertiv released its quarterly earnings report, revealing earnings per share (EPS) of $1.24, which exceeded analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.25. The company reported quarterly revenue of $2.68 billion, surpassing the expected $2.59 billion. Vertiv’s net margin stood at 10.67%, and it achieved a return on equity of 50.82%. The revenue for this quarter marked a 29% increase compared to the same period last year, during which the company posted an EPS of $0.76.
Looking ahead, Vertiv has provided guidance for the fourth quarter of 2025, forecasting EPS in the range of $1.230 to $1.290. For the full fiscal year 2025, the company anticipates EPS between $4.070 and $4.130. Analysts project an average EPS of 3.59 for the current year.
Dividend Announcement and Insider Trading
In addition to its earnings report, Vertiv announced a quarterly dividend of $0.0625 per share, set to be paid on December 18. Shareholders of record on November 25 will receive this dividend, which represents an increase from the previous quarterly dividend of $0.04. This annualized dividend amounts to $0.25, yielding 0.1%. The ex-dividend date is also November 25, and the company currently maintains a dividend payout ratio of 9.43%.
In recent insider trading activities, Executive Vice President Stephen Liang sold 5,501 shares at an average price of $170.48, totaling approximately $937,810.48. Following this transaction, Liang retained 4,050 shares, valued at around $690,444, reflecting a 57.60% reduction in his position. Additionally, Director Jakki L. Haussler sold 15,680 shares on September 8 for a total of $1,943,065.60, resulting in a 77.20% decrease in her holdings.
Institutional Investment Trends
Recent trends indicate that institutional investors continue to adjust their stakes in Vertiv. Allworth Financial LP increased its position by 34.7% during the third quarter, now holding 3,637 shares valued at $549,000. IFP Advisors Inc. also raised its holdings by 15.1%, bringing their total to 14,502 shares worth $2,188,000 after acquiring an additional 1,900 shares.
Investment Research Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Vertiv valued at approximately $987,000, while KERR Financial Planning Corp purchased shares worth around $302,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings by 64.1%, now owning 364,756 shares valued at $55,027,000. Overall, institutional investors control 89.92% of Vertiv’s stock.
Vertiv Holdings Co. is a global provider of critical digital infrastructure technologies and lifecycle services for data centers, communication networks, and commercial and industrial environments across the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
