Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) Shares Down 3.6% on Insider Selling

Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE:VRT)’s share price was down 3.6% during trading on Thursday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $124.52 and last traded at $126.94. Approximately 7,384,648 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 10% from the average daily volume of 8,209,171 shares. The stock had previously closed at $131.74.

Specifically, EVP Stephen Liang sold 86,619 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.07, for a total value of $11,353,152.33. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,562,549.57. This represents a 81.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jan Van Dokkum sold 38,647 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.39, for a total transaction of $5,271,064.33. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 25,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,409,750. The trade was a 60.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In other news, Director Jakki L. Haussler sold 15,347 shares of the company’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 transaction, the director now owns 3,425 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $470,526.50. This represents a 81.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on VRT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Vertiv from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Vertiv from $115.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group began coverage on Vertiv in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Vertiv from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Vertiv from $121.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $138.50.

Vertiv Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $47.65 billion, a PE ratio of 84.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.58. The business’s fifty day moving average is $114.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $96.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60.

Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.98 billion. Vertiv had a net margin of 7.72% and a return on equity of 55.33%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 19.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.52 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Vertiv Holdings Co will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vertiv Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.0375 per share. This is an increase from Vertiv’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.03. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.12%. Vertiv’s payout ratio is presently 6.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vertiv

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Vertiv by 15.4% during the 2nd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,553,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $221,013,000 after acquiring an additional 340,639 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its stake in Vertiv by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 127,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,656,000 after purchasing an additional 8,579 shares in the last quarter. Janney Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vertiv in the 3rd quarter worth $8,403,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Vertiv by 190.7% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 55,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,564,000 after purchasing an additional 36,684 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Vertiv by 46.8% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 76,932 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,654,000 after purchasing an additional 24,526 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.