Traders Purchase High Volume of Put Options on Vertiv (NYSE:VRT)

Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE:VRT) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors bought 53,036 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 21% compared to the typical daily volume of 43,792 put options.

Vertiv Price Performance

NYSE VRT traded down $9.12 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $82.46. 8,093,818 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,511,471. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $106.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $111.68. The company has a market cap of $31.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.71. Vertiv has a 1 year low of $62.40 and a 1 year high of $155.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business earned $0.56 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Vertiv will post 3.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vertiv Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VRT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on Vertiv in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $121.00 target price for the company. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Vertiv from $141.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Fox Advisors started coverage on shares of Vertiv in a research report on Monday, January 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Vertiv from $111.00 to $100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Vertiv from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vertiv

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Vertiv by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 28,066 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,792,000 after acquiring an additional 2,604 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its position in shares of Vertiv by 123.1% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 5,833 shares of the company’s stock valued at $580,000 after purchasing an additional 3,218 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in Vertiv by 25.5% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 44,729 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,450,000 after acquiring an additional 9,086 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC bought a new position in Vertiv in the 3rd quarter worth $518,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Vertiv by 232.9% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 839 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 587 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.