Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) Shares Up 5.3% – Still a Buy?

Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE:VRT) shares shot up 5.3% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $83.21 and last traded at $82.18. 3,310,287 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 70% from the average session volume of 10,903,974 shares. The stock had previously closed at $78.02.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on VRT. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Vertiv from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Vertiv in a report on Monday, January 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Vertiv from $124.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Vertiv from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Melius Research reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Vertiv in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $136.07.

Vertiv Stock Down 2.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.65. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $113.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $110.80. The company has a market cap of $31.78 billion, a PE ratio of 65.20, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.71.

Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.15. Vertiv had a return on equity of 61.41% and a net margin of 6.19%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.56 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Vertiv Holdings Co will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Vertiv Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.0375 dividend. This represents a $0.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. Vertiv’s dividend payout ratio is 11.72%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vertiv

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in Vertiv by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,126 shares of the company’s stock worth $128,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vertiv by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 3,695 shares of the company’s stock valued at $420,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Accurate Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Vertiv by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Accurate Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,234 shares of the company’s stock worth $254,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Vertiv by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC now owns 2,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC increased its position in Vertiv by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 3,226 shares of the company’s stock valued at $367,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. 89.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vertiv Company Profile

Vertiv Holdings Co, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and services critical digital infrastructure technologies and life cycle services for data centers, communication networks, and commercial and industrial environments in the Americas, the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.