Investors Purchase Large Volume of Put Options on Vertiv (NYSE:VRT)

Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE:VRT) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Traders purchased 53,036 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 21% compared to the average volume of 43,792 put options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on VRT shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Vertiv from $141.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Melius downgraded shares of Vertiv from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $125.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Vertiv in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Vertiv in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Fox Advisors began coverage on Vertiv in a research report on Monday, January 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.33.

Vertiv Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VRT traded down $9.12 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $82.46. The stock had a trading volume of 8,093,818 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,511,471. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.65. Vertiv has a one year low of $62.40 and a one year high of $155.84. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $106.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.68. The stock has a market cap of $31.40 billion, a PE ratio of 64.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.71.

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

Vertiv Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a $0.0375 dividend. This represents a $0.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. Vertiv’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.72%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vertiv

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in shares of Vertiv by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,126 shares of the company’s stock valued at $128,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vertiv by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 3,695 shares of the company’s stock valued at $420,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Accurate Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Vertiv by 4.1% during the fourth 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 lifted its holdings in Vertiv by 4.1% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Vertiv by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 3,226 shares of the company’s stock valued at $367,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during 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.