Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) Shares Gap Up After Earnings Beat

Shares of Vertiv Holdings Co. (NYSE:VRT) gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $199.62, but opened at $233.25. Vertiv shares last traded at $236.6260, with a volume of 7,935,893 shares changing hands.

The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.07. Vertiv had a net margin of 10.67% and a return on equity of 50.82%. The company had revenue of $2.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.89 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.99 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. Vertiv has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.950-1.010 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.970-6.070 EPS.

Trending Headlines about Vertiv

Here are the key news stories impacting Vertiv this week:

• Positive Sentiment: EPS beat and bullish full‑year guide: Vertiv reported $1.36 EPS vs. ~$1.29 consensus and raised FY‑2026 EPS guidance to $5.97–$6.07 (well above prior consensus), a key driver of the rally. Vertiv Stock Soars. Earnings Shake Off Concerns the AI Trade Is Losing Steam.
• Positive Sentiment: Massive order and backlog growth tied to AI/data‑center buildouts: Q4 orders rose ~252% YoY, book‑to‑bill ~2.9x and backlog ~ $15B (≈109% YoY), signaling multi‑quarter revenue visibility from AI cooling/power systems. Vertiv Earnings Prove the AI Infrastructure Boom Is Intact
• Positive Sentiment: Stronger margins and cash flow: Adjusted operating margin and operating cash flow improved materially (adjusted operating margin ~23.2%; operating cash flow and free cash flow surged), which supports higher profitability as volumes scale. Vertiv Reports Strong Fourth Quarter with Organic Orders Growth of 252%
• Neutral Sentiment: Top line roughly in line: Revenue of $2.88B was essentially in line with estimates (came in a touch below ~$2.89B) — strong YoY growth but not a revenue beat. Vertiv (VRT) Q4 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 guide near consensus: Q1 EPS guidance of $0.95–1.01 is roughly in line with expectations, so near‑term execution remains watchable as backlog converts to revenue. Vertiv Earnings Prove the AI Infrastructure Boom Is Intact
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and technical/mean‑reversion risk: The rally leaves VRT extended from recent averages and valuation metrics rich (high P/E vs. peers), increasing the risk of a pullback or consolidation even if fundamentals remain strong. Vertiv Earnings Prove the AI Infrastructure Boom Is Intact

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on VRT. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $211.00 price objective on shares of Vertiv in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Vertiv from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Wolfe Research cut shares of Vertiv from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Vertiv from $182.00 to $204.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Vertiv from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $181.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned 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 $192.74.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Stephen Liang sold 5,501 shares of Vertiv stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.48, for a total value of $937,810.48. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,050 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $690,444. This trade represents a 57.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vertiv

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vertiv by 2.2% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,833,036 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,858,352,000 after buying an additional 826,281 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Vertiv by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,459,323 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,276,173,000 after purchasing an additional 189,484 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Vertiv by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,065,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,141,723,000 after purchasing an additional 143,821 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Vertiv by 20.9% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,931,488 shares of the company’s stock worth $761,662,000 after purchasing an additional 1,024,634 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Vertiv in the fourth quarter valued at about $808,701,000. 89.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertiv Stock Up 24.7%

The stock has a market cap of $95.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 93.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 2.08. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $176.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $162.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.43.

Vertiv Company Profile

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.