Vertiv Holdings Co's stock fell by 5.00%, hitting a 5-day low amid a broader market decline, with the Nasdaq-100 down 0.60% and the S&P 500 down 0.36%.
The decline follows a downgrade by Wolfe Research from Outperform to Peer Perform, which has raised concerns among investors despite the company's recent acquisition of PurgeRite for $1 billion, aimed at enhancing its fluid management capabilities. This acquisition is expected to strengthen Vertiv's position in the high-density computing and AI markets, but the downgrade has overshadowed these positive developments.
The market's reaction indicates a cautious sentiment among investors, as they weigh the implications of the downgrade against the backdrop of Vertiv's strategic growth initiatives. The company's efforts to expand its market share in critical data center applications may provide long-term benefits, but short-term volatility remains a concern.
Wall Street analysts forecast VRT stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for VRT is 206.07 USD with a low forecast of 195.00 USD and a high forecast of 230.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
17 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast VRT stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for VRT is 206.07 USD with a low forecast of 195.00 USD and a high forecast of 230.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
15 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 189.210
Low
195.00
Averages
206.07
High
230.00
Current: 189.210
Low
195.00
Averages
206.07
High
230.00
JPMorgan
Stephen Tusa
Overweight
downgrade
$230 -> $225
2026-01-16
Reason
JPMorgan
Stephen Tusa
Price Target
$230 -> $225
AI Analysis
2026-01-16
downgrade
Overweight
Reason
JPMorgan analyst Stephen Tusa lowered the firm's price target on Vertiv to $225 from $230 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. The firm adjusted ratings and targets in the electrical equipment and multi-industry group as part of its Q4 earnings preview. JPMorgan is more positive on "growth related names into and out of the quarter."
Barclays
Julian Mitchell
Equal Weight -> Overweight
upgrade
$181 -> $200
2026-01-02
Reason
Barclays
Julian Mitchell
Price Target
$181 -> $200
2026-01-02
upgrade
Equal Weight -> Overweight
Reason
Barclays analyst Julian Mitchell upgraded Vertiv to Overweight from Equal Weight with a price target of $200, up from $181. The recent selloff in the shares creates an attractive entry point, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm sees "substantial upside potential" to Vertiv's consensus earnings estimates in 2026 and 2027. The company's initial 2026 guidance "should comfortably bracket the consensus" at the high end, and it tends to set a conservative outlook, allowing scope for "beat and raise" in the quarters ahead, says Barclays.
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Goldman Sachs
Buy
maintain
$182 -> $204
2025-12-09
Reason
Goldman Sachs
Price Target
$182 -> $204
2025-12-09
maintain
Buy
Reason
Goldman Sachs raised the firm's price target on Vertiv to $204 from $182 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. Autos and industrial tech stocks performed strongly in 2025, aided by steady end-market demand and multiple expansion, with autos up a median 23% year-to-date and industrial tech up 63%, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The year was marked by volatility -- from tariff-driven swings in auto names to shifting expectations for hyperscale capex that influenced datacenter-exposed stocks -- despite broadly stable auto volumes, sharply rising hyperscale spending forecasts, and a modest industrial recovery, the firm says.
Wolfe Research
Outperform -> Peer Perform
downgrade
2025-12-09
Reason
Wolfe Research
Price Target
2025-12-09
downgrade
Outperform -> Peer Perform
Reason
Wolfe Research downgraded Vertiv to Peer Perform from Outperform without a price target. The firm still believes the company is well positioned to benefit from growth in the data center infrastructure market. However, it cites valuation for the downgrade with the shares up 14-times since its December 2022 upgrade. After this extended period of outperformance, Vertiv shares now look balanced in a bull versus bear skew, the analyst tells investors in a research note.
About VRT
Vertiv Holdings Co. is a global provider of critical digital infrastructure. It provides mission-critical digital infrastructure technologies and lifecycle services primarily for data centers, communication networks, and commercial and industrial environments. Its offerings include alternate current (AC) and direct current (DC) power management products, switchgear and busbar products, thermal management products, integrated rack systems, modular solutions, management systems for monitoring and controlling digital infrastructure, and services. Its business segments include Americas, Asia Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas segment includes products which include AC and DC power management, thermal management, low/medium voltage switchgear, busbar, integrated modular solutions, racks, single phase UPS, rack power distribution, rack thermal systems, configurable integrated solutions, energy storage solutions, hardware, and software for managing I.T. equipment.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
