Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE:VRT) Short Interest Update

Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE:VRT) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 12,910,000 shares, a decline of 14.9% from the November 30th total of 15,170,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 6,640,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days.

Vertiv Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VRT traded down $3.77 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $115.11. 3,807,883 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,017,447. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 76.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. Vertiv has a twelve month low of $44.31 and a twelve month high of $145.67. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $122.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $99.84.

Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.98 billion. Vertiv had a return on equity of 55.33% and a net margin of 7.72%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.52 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Vertiv will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vertiv Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were paid a $0.0375 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 3rd. This is an increase from Vertiv’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.03. This represents a $0.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.13%. Vertiv’s dividend payout ratio is 6.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VRT has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Vertiv from $124.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Vertiv from $121.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Barclays initiated coverage on Vertiv in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $142.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Vertiv from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Vertiv from $141.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vertiv currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.09.

Insider Activity at Vertiv

In related news, Director Jakki L. Haussler sold 15,347 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.38, for a total value of $2,108,370.86. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,425 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $470,526.50. The trade was a 81.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Anand Sanghi sold 30,914 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.46, for a total value of $4,373,094.44. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 19,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,751,114.08. This trade represents a 61.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 171,527 shares of company stock worth $23,105,682. 5.01% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vertiv

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vertiv in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Krane Funds Advisors LLC bought a new position in Vertiv during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Vertiv in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC lifted its position in shares of Vertiv by 200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Vertiv during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.92% of the company’s stock.

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.