Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) Stock Jumps 3.3% – Time to Buy?

Vertiv Holdings Co. (NYSE:VRT) was up 3.3% on Friday. The company traded as high as $192.14 and last traded at $182.4930. Approximately 9,566,904 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 46% from the average daily volume of 6,568,320 shares. The stock had previously closed at $176.73.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VRT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Vertiv from $323.00 to $351.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Vertiv from $358.00 to $362.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $330.00 price target on Vertiv in a report on Friday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Vertiv from $352.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on Vertiv from $440.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vertiv has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $337.78.

Vertiv Trading Up 3.3%

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $238.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $269.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The company has a market capitalization of $70.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 2.11.

Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.39. Vertiv had a return on equity of 53.31% and a net margin of 15.99%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.75 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.24 EPS. Vertiv’s revenue for the quarter was up 61.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Vertiv Holdings Co. will post 7.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vertiv Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 14th were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 14th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. Vertiv’s dividend payout ratio is 4.67%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Edward Monser sold 15,287 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director owned 16,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,188,030. The trade was a 48.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vertiv

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sachetta LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vertiv by 41.4% in the 1st quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 123 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in Vertiv by 60.5% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Burkett Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Vertiv during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. increased its holdings in Vertiv by 554.2% in the first quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ravenstone Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Vertiv in the first quarter worth approximately $40,000. 89.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vertiv Company Profile

Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE: VRT) designs, manufactures and services critical digital infrastructure used by data centers, communications networks and commercial and industrial facilities. Its offerings help customers maintain reliable power, cooling and operating conditions for technology systems.

The company’s products and solutions include uninterruptible power supplies, power distribution equipment, thermal management systems, racks, integrated modular infrastructure, and monitoring and control software.