Vertiv (VRT) Stock on December 3, 2025: AI Cooling Leader, S&P 500 Speculation and Fresh Wall Street Forecasts

Ticker: NYSE: VRT · Date: December 3, 2025

Vertiv Holdings Co, the data‑center power and cooling specialist sitting at the heart of the AI boom, remains one of the most closely watched AI infrastructure stocks going into 2026.

As of late trading on December 3, 2025, Vertiv stock changes hands around $179.16, down about 1% on the day but still hovering near recent highs after a powerful multi‑year run.

Over just the last six months, Vertiv shares have climbed roughly 60%, far outpacing the broader tech sector. ^[1] In 2023 the stock more than tripled, making it one of the top U.S. equity performers and firmly establishing Vertiv as a flagship AI infrastructure play. ^[2]

Below is a detailed, news‑driven look at Vertiv stock as of December 3, 2025, including the latest headlines, fundamentals, forecasts, and key risks.

Vertiv in one paragraph: why this is an AI infrastructure pure play

Vertiv designs and services critical digital infrastructure for data centers, communication networks and industrial facilities worldwide – think uninterruptible power supplies, switchgear and busway, high‑density liquid and air cooling, racks, enclosures, monitoring and lifecycle services. ^[3]

Because AI data centers are extremely power‑hungry and run at very high thermal densities, they require sophisticated cooling and power architectures. Zacks and other analysts highlight Vertiv’s leadership in liquid cooling, thermal management and integrated power systems, and note that it is deeply embedded in AI reference designs with Nvidia and other hyperscale partners. ^[4]

That combination – mission‑critical products, high switching costs and exploding AI demand – is the core of the Vertiv bull case.

Vertiv stock price today and performance into late 2025

Price (Dec 3, 2025): ~$179.16
Intraday range: $172.81 – $184.70
Day move: –$1.75 (about –1%)
Six‑month move: roughly +60%, versus ~27% for the broader Zacks computer & technology sector. ^[5]

Zacks notes that Vertiv shares have rallied nearly 200% off their April 2025 low, with the stock breaking to new all‑time highs earlier this year and continuing to trade above its 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages – a technical profile they describe as a “powerful uptrend.” ^[6]

The flip side is valuation:

Vertiv trades at a trailing P/E near the high‑60s, according to multiple market data providers. ^[7]
Forward valuation compresses but remains rich: StockAnalysis data imply a forward P/E around 43x 2025 EPS, falling to the mid‑30s on 2026 earnings. ^[8]

For bulls, that premium is the price of owning a category leader in a long‑duration AI infrastructure cycle. For skeptics, it leaves little room for execution missteps.

Today’s major Vertiv headlines (December 3, 2025)

1. Zacks names Vertiv “Bull of the Day” and reaffirms Strong Buy

On December 3, 2025, Zacks Equity Research again highlighted Vertiv as its “Bull of the Day”, reiterating a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). ^[9]

Key points from Zacks’ fresh coverage (via Nasdaq and Finviz):

Vertiv has beaten EPS estimates in each of the last four quarters, with a trailing four‑quarter earnings surprise of about +14.9%. ^[10]
The latest quarter delivered EPS of $1.24 vs. $1.00 expected, roughly 63% EPS growth year‑on‑year. ^[11]
Analysts have nudged Q4 2025 EPS estimates higher over the last two months; the current Zacks consensus implies almost 30% EPS growth and more than 22% revenue growth in Q4. ^[12]
Zacks also emphasizes Vertiv’s strong industry backdrop: it sits in the Computers – IT Services group, which currently ranks in the top tier of its industry ranking model, a combination they associate with market outperformance over the next 3–6 months. ^[13]

In short, Zacks’ fundamental and technical read‑through on December 3 remains decisively bullish.

2. Hedge funds shuffle positions: Arrowstreet trims as others buy more

Also on December 3, 2025, MarketBeat published multiple 13F‑driven pieces showing that large institutional investors remain heavily involved in VRT: ^[14]

Arrowstreet Capital cut its Vertiv position by 1.7% in Q2, selling about 30,893 shares and ending the quarter with 1.78 million shares (~0.47% of the company), worth roughly $228.6 million. ^[15]
Stanley Capital Management increased its stake by 39%, adding 101,000 shares to reach 360,000 shares worth around $46 million, making Vertiv its largest single holding, at about 7.8% of its portfolio. ^[16]
Locust Wood Capital Advisers lifted its stake by 9.7%, buying 117,556 shares to own about 1.32 million shares (~0.35% of the company), now its 5th‑largest position at roughly 4.5% of the fund. ^[17]

Those same MarketBeat pieces note that institutional ownership in Vertiv is close to 90%, and that insiders have recently sold some shares even as the board raised earnings guidance and the dividend. ^[18]

Taken together, today’s filings show active repositioning rather than wholesale exit: one large quantitative fund lightening up, while fundamental managers double down.

3. S&P 500 rebalancing rumors: Vertiv as a top candidate

A widely read Investing.com / Tokenist analysis published today flags Vertiv as one of the stocks most closely watched ahead of the December S&P 500 rebalancing announcement, due this Friday after the close with changes set to take effect on December 19. ^[19]

Key Vertiv takeaways from that piece:

Vertiv and Ares Management are highlighted as high‑valuation candidates (TTM P/E near 70) that nevertheless meet profitability and size thresholds for S&P 500 inclusion. ^[20]
The article points out that Vertiv’s Q3 organic orders jumped 60% year‑on‑year and 20% sequentially, and adjusted operating profit climbed 43% to $596 million. ^[21]
It also notes that the average VRT 12‑month target sits near $194.97 (range roughly $112–$234) and that the stock is up about 53% year‑to‑date despite a pullback of roughly 7–8% over the past month. ^[22]

Important nuance:
Despite some commentary elsewhere about “S&P 500 inclusion,” S&P Dow Jones Indices currently lists Vertiv as a constituent of the S&P Completion Index, which specifically holds U.S. stocks not in the S&P 500. ^[23]

So as of December 3, 2025, Vertiv is not yet an S&P 500 member, but is widely seen as a leading candidate. That sets up a near‑term catalyst – and potential volatility – around the index committee’s decision.

4. “Surges 57% in 6 months”: Zacks deep dive on growth and backlog

A December 2, 2025 Zacks article (via Nasdaq) titled “Vertiv Surges 57% in the Past 6 Months: Is the Stock Worth Buying?” provides a detailed look at Vertiv’s growth profile: ^[24]

Highlights include:

Vertiv shares gained about 59.6% over six months, far ahead of the broader Zacks tech sector and outpacing peers like Super Micro Computer and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. ^[25]
In the trailing 12 months, organic orders grew about 21%, and Vertiv posted a Q3 2025 book‑to‑bill of 1.4x, driving backlog up to $9.5 billion, up 30% year‑on‑year and 12% sequentially. ^[26]
Zacks calls out Vertiv’s expansion via M&A:
- Agreement to acquire Purge Rite Intermediate for about $1.0 billion in cash plus up to $250 million earn‑out to strengthen liquid cooling and thermal services for AI data centers. ^[27]
- August 2025 completion of the $200 million acquisition of Great Lakes Data Racks & Cabinets, broadening Vertiv’s racks and integrated infrastructure offerings. ^[28]

The article concludes that Vertiv’s stronger portfolio, partner ecosystem and guidance underpin its premium valuation – but also stresses that expectations are high.

5. Seeking Alpha: “The most reliable AI infrastructure bet in a crowded market”

On December 2, 2025, Seeking Alpha published a long‑form analysis titled “Vertiv: The Most Reliable AI Infrastructure Bet In A Crowded Market.” ^[29]

That piece argues:

Vertiv’s $9.5B backlog is nearly equal to its expected 2025 revenue, giving unusual visibility into future sales. ^[30]
The company’s moat stems from high integration costs, sticky contracts and deep integration at the data‑center architectural level, creating customer lock‑in. ^[31]
Management is targeting ~25% operating margins by 2029, up from an already elevated low‑20s today, through a shift toward higher‑margin solutions and disciplined pricing. ^[32]
Even at an estimated ~32x EV/EBITDA, the author views Vertiv as a long‑term buy for investors comfortable paying up for structural growth. ^[33]

This dovetails with Street forecasts calling for nearly 29% revenue growth in 2025 and ~20% in 2026, and EPS climbing from $1.28 in 2024 to about $4.16 in 2025 and $5.29 in 2026. ^[34]

Fundamentals: Q3 2025 results and upgraded guidance

Vertiv’s latest reported quarter (Q3 2025, released October 22) was exceptionally strong and is the foundation for today’s bullish commentary. ^[35]

Q3 2025 highlights (YoY unless noted): ^[36]

Net sales: $2.676 billion, +29%
Organic net sales:+28%
Organic orders:+60% vs. Q3 2024 and +20% vs. Q2 2025
Book‑to‑bill: ~1.4x
Backlog: increased to about $9.5 billion
Operating profit: $517 million, +39%
Adjusted operating profit: $596 million, +43%
Adjusted operating margin:22.3%, up 220 bps year‑on‑year and 380 bps sequentially

On cash and leverage:

Net cash from operations: $509 million in Q3
Adjusted free cash flow: $462 million, up ~38%
Liquidity: roughly $2.7 billion
Net leverage: about 0.5x, prompting a credit upgrade by Moody’s to Ba1. ^[37]

Updated full‑year 2025 guidance (midpoints): ^[38]

Net sales: ≈ $10.2B, 26–28% organic growth
Adjusted operating profit: ≈ $2.06B
Adjusted operating margin:20.0–20.5%
Adjusted EPS:$4.07–$4.13 (up from prior midpoint ~$3.80)
Adjusted free cash flow:$1.47–$1.53B

Street models are broadly in line, with consensus around $10.3B revenue and $4.16 EPS for 2025, and $12.4B / $5.29 respectively for 2026. ^[39]

Strategy: AI data centers, alliances and acquisitions

Deep AI ecosystem integration

Zacks’ Bull of the Day note emphasizes that Vertiv doesn’t just sell commodity chillers. Its portfolio spans high‑density liquid cooling, thermal systems, UPS, switchgear, busbar and modular data‑center blocks tuned for AI‑class loads. ^[40]

It also highlights key partnerships:

Nvidia: Vertiv is involved in high‑density reference designs capable of handling the extreme power and thermal requirements of Nvidia’s 72‑GPU rack‑scale systems using combined liquid and air cooling. ^[41]
Caterpillar & Solar Turbines: In November 2025, Vertiv and Caterpillar announced a data‑center alliance to provide integrated modular power and cooling systems that pair Vertiv’s infrastructure with Caterpillar’s generation and combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP) technologies, allowing faster, more energy‑efficient AI data‑center deployments with reduced grid dependence. ^[42]

M&A to build out the AI stack

Recent acquisitions further push Vertiv deeper into AI‑critical niches:

Purge Rite Intermediate – announced for $1.0B in cash plus up to $250M earn‑out, expanding Vertiv’s mechanical flushing, purging and filtration services for high‑performance data centers. ^[43]
Great Lakes Data Racks & Cabinets – completed in August 2025 for about $200M, broadening Vertiv’s cabinets and integrated rack infrastructure line. ^[44]
Earlier deals and partnerships (for example with Oklo, ZincFive and others) aim to solve power density, grid constraints and backup at AI campuses. ^[45]

Overall, the strategy is clear: own the entire power‑and‑cooling envelope around AI clusters and make Vertiv hard to rip out once designed in.

Dividend hike and capital allocation

Vertiv is still a growth stock first, income stock second, but November brought another confidence signal from the board.

A November 14, 2025 Form 8‑K disclosed that Vertiv’s board raised the regular annual dividend from $0.15 to $0.25 per share, to be paid quarterly. The first quarterly dividend at the new rate – $0.0625 per share, payable December 18, 2025 to shareholders of record on November 25 – is already declared. ^[46]

At today’s price around $179.16, that’s a forward yield of roughly 0.14%, so the dividend is more about signaling balance‑sheet strength and cash‑flow confidence than about income.

Given net leverage of only ~0.5x and strong free cash flow, Vertiv has room to:

Keep investing aggressively in capacity and R&D
Continue opportunistic M&A in AI‑adjacent niches
Gradually grow the dividend and potentially consider buybacks if the board sees value. ^[47]

Street sentiment and price targets for VRT

Different data providers show slightly different snapshots, but they tell a consistent story: bullish consensus with valuation debate.

MarketBeat: Moderate Buy, targets around today’s price

MarketBeat’s forecast page (updated today) shows: ^[48]

Consensus rating:Moderate Buy based on 29 analysts
- 1 Sell
- 5 Hold
- 21 Buy
- 2 Strong Buy
Average 12‑month price target:$177.86
- High target: $216
- Low target: $75
That average implies slight downside (~0.6%) from a reference price of $178.94 – essentially “fairly valued” on this particular model.

TipRanks: Strong Buy with double‑digit upside

TipRanks, which focuses on the most recently active analysts, paints a more upbeat picture: ^[49]

Consensus rating: Strong Buy based on 17 recent analyst ratings
Average price target:$199.81
- High: $230
- Low: $170
That average target implies about 11–12% upside from a last price around $179.

Longer‑term growth forecasts

StockAnalysis, aggregating Wall Street models, projects: ^[50]

Revenue:
- 2024: $8.01B
- 2025: $10.32B (+28.8%)
- 2026: $12.38B (+20.0%)
EPS:
- 2024: $1.28
- 2025: $4.16 (+225%)
- 2026: $5.29 (+27%)
Forward P/E:
- ~43x 2025 EPS
- ~34x 2026 EPS

The bottom line: analysts broadly see strong, compounding earnings growth into 2026, but there’s a clear split between those who think the current price already discounts that and those who think AI infrastructure tailwinds justify further multiple expansion.

Key drivers to watch in 2026

Based on today’s news flow and recent analysis, a few themes are likely to dominate Vertiv’s story next year:

AI data‑center capex and grid constraints
- Continued acceleration (or any slowdown) in hyperscale and enterprise AI build‑outs will directly impact Vertiv’s orders and backlog. ^[51]
S&P 500 index decision
- If Vertiv is added to the S&P 500 at the December rebalance, the “index effect” could mean meaningful passive‑flow buying. If it’s passed over again, there could be a short‑term air pocket in expectations. ^[52]
Margin trajectory toward 25% by 2029
- Management and outside analysts are focused on sustaining low‑20s margins and progressing toward the 25% long‑term target, which would support premium valuation even if growth decelerates. ^[53]
M&A integration and execution
- Vertiv must successfully integrate recent deals like Purge Rite and Great Lakes while maintaining operational discipline and cash‑flow conversion. ^[54]
Technology shifts in cooling and power
- Competitors and hyperscalers are experimenting with alternative cooling approaches – for example, Microsoft has publicized work on in‑chip cooling designs, which some market commentators frame as a long‑term competitive threat to traditional thermal systems providers. ^[55]
- Vertiv’s ability to stay ahead technologically will be critical to defending its moat.

Key risks: rich expectations in a fast‑moving market

Even the bullish research pieces emphasize that Vertiv is not a low‑risk stock:

Valuation risk: With a trailing P/E near 70 and forward multiples in the 30s–40s, any disappointment in orders, margins or AI demand could trigger sharp drawdowns. ^[56]
AI cycle and capex cyclicality: If AI infrastructure spending slows, or if customers decide they over‑built capacity, Vertiv’s order book could normalize faster than expected. ^[57]
Competition and technology disruption: Traditional rivals (Eaton, Schneider, etc.) and new cooling technologies (e.g., immersion, advanced chip‑level solutions) could pressure Vertiv’s share or pricing power. ^[58]
Execution on large backlog: A $9.5B backlog is a strength but also a responsibility; supply‑chain issues, project delays or cost overruns could erode margins or customer satisfaction. ^[59]

Bottom line: how Vertiv stock looks on December 3, 2025

As of December 3, 2025, the Vertiv story looks like this:

A global leader in data‑center power and cooling, tightly linked to Nvidia and other AI heavyweights. ^[60]
Explosive growth, with Q3 2025 delivering 60% order growth, 29% revenue growth, a 22.3% adjusted operating margin and upgraded full‑year guidance. ^[61]
A stock up ~60% in six months and ~50%+ year‑to‑date, now trading around $179 with a rich but widely debated valuation. ^[62]
Street sentiment skewed bullish, with consensus ranging from “Moderate Buy” at roughly fair value to “Strong Buy” with ~10–12% implied upside. ^[63]
A potential S&P 500 inclusion catalyst and a growing dividend, underpinned by strong free cash flow and a low‑leverage balance sheet. ^[64]

For investors and traders following VRT into 2026, Vertiv remains a high‑conviction AI infrastructure name – but one where expectations, and therefore risks, are just as elevated as the growth story.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, a recommendation, or a solicitation to buy or sell any security. Always do your own research and consider your financial situation, risk tolerance, and investment horizon, or consult a licensed financial advisor before making investment decisions.