Vertiv (VRT) stock price dips from record as AI valuation worries bite again
26 February 2026
2 mins read

Vertiv (VRT) stock price dips from record as AI valuation worries bite again

New York, Feb 26, 2026, 14:36 EST — Regular session

  • Vertiv shares dropped 2.9% to $254.56 in afternoon trading, retreating from yesterday’s record high of $264.86.
  • Vertiv has launched a “digital twin” platform, announcing a partnership with Hut 8 on specific data center projects.
  • The Nasdaq dropped 1.3% with investors taking a hard look at high-flying tech valuations following Nvidia’s results.

Vertiv Holdings Co slipped 2.9% to $254.56 as of 2:32 p.m. EST Thursday, pulling back after notching a record high of $264.86 the previous day. Shares kicked off the session at $260.15, touching lows of $241.69 before recovering some ground. The broader market leaned lower, with the Nasdaq off 1.3% and the S&P 500 about 0.6% in the red. Still, Vertiv’s up roughly 40% over the last month and has soared about 176% in a year. Investing.com

The drop hits hard, since Vertiv has turned into a fast, liquid stand-in for the AI data center theme—and the hype riding along with it. Even after Nvidia delivered solid numbers, the stock slid, fueling arguments over just how much future growth is baked into the sector. “People are getting concerned about lofty valuations,” said Thomas Plumb, chief executive and portfolio manager at Plumb Funds. Reuters

Vertiv on Thursday pushed its AI pitch further, rolling out what it’s calling a digital twin platform. The company also announced a partnership with Hut 8, aiming to fold Vertiv’s prefabricated “OneCore” infrastructure into select Hut 8 data center builds. According to Vertiv, this setup could slash “time-to-token”—the company’s term for bringing AI capacity online—by as much as 50%. Vertiv also put the potential cut in total cost of ownership at up to 25%. “The industry is reaching the limits of what traditional, sequential construction can deliver,” Vertiv CEO Giordano Albertazzi said. Hut 8 CEO Asher Genoot described AI infrastructure as “an integrated industrial system anchored in power.” PR Newswire

A digital twin gives you a virtual replica of a data center’s electrical, mechanical, and cooling setup—everything mapped out digitally before any gear gets bolted in. The pitch? Cut the field hiccups, trim down rework, and let customers get those new AI chips online faster.

Price targets keep heading higher as Vertiv’s rally powers on. According to Fintel, the average 12-month target now sits at $265.81—sharply up from the $196.83 figure as of Feb. 1. Estimates are scattered, with analysts calling for anywhere between $113.12 and $320.25. Nasdaq

Vertiv specializes in power and thermal management systems, supporting data centers and communications networks, along with several other sectors, its company profile shows. Reuters

Thursday’s drop didn’t really read as a judgment on the OneCore rollout; it was more just another move in the bigger trade. Infrastructure names still took hits when AI sentiment cooled, even on news that was both specific to the company and set well into the future.

Competition is heating up. Vertiv now contends with large industrial names like Schneider Electric and Eaton in different segments of the power and cooling market, while customers, eyeing bigger projects, are pushing harder on vendor pricing.

The larger threat isn’t something Vertiv can do much about. Should hyperscalers hit pause or stretch out their project timelines, or if AI spending falls even a bit short of expectations, there’s little cushion for the stock. Valuation could shrink quickly, given how far shares have climbed — they’re hovering close to their 52-week peak.

Investors want to see if Vertiv’s factory-built story translates into actual booked orders—and if margins can stand up as the company ramps up larger, more complex deployments.

Vertiv’s next big investor event lands May 19-20 in Greenville, South Carolina. Management is slated to lay out the latest on strategy and market trends during the conference. investors.vertiv.com

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