Vertiv Holdings Is About to Report Q1 Earnings. Options Traders Expect a 9.16% Move in VRT Stock.

Vertiv Holdings (VRT) is scheduled to announce its first-quarter results on Wednesday, April 22. VRT stock has rallied by an impressive 95% year-to-date, driven by robust demand for its power and cooling solutions for AI (artificial intelligence) data centers. According to TipRanks’ Options Tool, options traders expect about a 9.16% move in either direction in VRT stock in reaction to Q1 2026 earnings. This implied move is slightly higher than Vertiv stock’s average post-earnings move (in absolute terms) of about 9% over the past four quarters.

Meanwhile, Wall Street expects Vertiv to report EPS (earnings per share) of $1.00 for Q1 2026, reflecting a 56.3% year-over-year growth. Meanwhile, revenue is expected to rise 29.4% to $2.64 billion.

Investors will look forward to management’s updates on the demand backdrop and momentum in the AI infrastructure business. Notably, VRT ended 2025 with a strong backlog of $15 billion, reflecting a 109% year-over-year growth.

Analysts’ Views Ahead of Vertiv’s Q1 Earnings

Last week, Roth MKM analyst Justin Clare increased his price target for Vertiv Holdings stock to $335 from $275 and reiterated a Buy rating. Clare expects the company’s “central role” in AI infrastructure to drive continued order momentum this year, supported by a strong pipeline and increasing adoption of prefab solutions and liquid cooling. While capacity expansion might weigh on margin expansion, the 5-star analyst thinks that Vertiv’s guidance appears conservative relative to its $15 billion backlog and solid demand trends.

Clare increased his price target for VRT stock and 2027 estimates, driven by the Q4 jump in backlog and potential for continued order momentum in 2026.

Likewise, Bank of America analyst Andrew Obin reaffirmed a Buy rating on VRT stock and boosted his price target to $330 from $277 to reflect better industry trends. The 5-star analyst thinks that while Vertiv will no longer report quarterly orders and will discuss only annual backlog in the 10-K filing, management’s demand commentary still remains vital for investors. Following the 252% year-over-year growth in orders, investors are concerned about a potential slowdown in Q1 2026.

However, Obin highlighted that industry data indicate this is not the case, with ConstructConnect revealing that U.S. data center construction starts in the first two months of 2026 totaled $36.9 billion, compared to $1.4 billion in January to February 2025. The analyst also highlighted that U.S. data center construction spending re-accelerated, rising 31% year-over-year to a $47 billion annualized pace, based on Census data. This trend bodes well for both Vertiv’s Q1 2026 results and its full-year 2026 outlook. Obin highlighted that his target multiple for VRT stock reflects a premium to the 19x peer average on 2026 earnings, given the company’s above-peer earnings growth.

AI Analyst Is Bullish on VRT Stock

Interestingly, TipRanks’ AI Analyst has an Outperform rating on Vertiv stock with a price target of $349, indicating 13.6% upside potential. The AI Analyst’s rating is mainly based on the company’s solid financial performance and supportive technical momentum. However, these positives are partially tempered by premium valuation as well as execution and timing risks, including regional softness in APAC (Asia Pacific) and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), elongated backlog conversion, and higher capital spending.

Is VRT a Good Stock to Buy?

Heading into Q1 earnings, Wall Street has a Strong Buy consensus rating on Vertiv Holdings stock based on 16 Buys versus only one Hold recommendation. The average VRT stock price target of $309.75 indicates 2.14% downside risk.