Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) Trading Up 7.4% Following Strong Earnings

Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE:VRT - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 7.4% on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $83.38 and last traded at $83.81. Approximately 4,043,180 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 64% from the average daily volume of 11,200,241 shares. The stock had previously closed at $78.00.

The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.02. Vertiv had a net margin of 6.19% and a return on equity of 61.41%. The business had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.94 billion.

Vertiv Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a dividend of $0.0375 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.17%. Vertiv's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on VRT shares. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on Vertiv in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $121.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Vertiv from $153.00 to $98.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. KGI Securities started coverage on shares of Vertiv in a report on Thursday. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Vertiv from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Fox Advisors initiated coverage on Vertiv in a research report on Monday, January 6th. They set an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $120.38.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vertiv

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

Vertiv Price Performance

The company's 50-day moving average is $81.05 and its 200-day moving average is $107.57. The firm has a market cap of $33.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

About Vertiv

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.