Why Vertiv Stock Soared 37% in February

By Beth McKenna – Mar 4, 2026 at 6:00AM ESTKey PointsFourth-quarter results, released on Feb. 11, were strong, with both revenue and earnings beating Wall Street's estimates.2026 guidance crushed Wall Street's estimates on both the top and bottom line. Shares of Vertiv Holdings (VRT 5.16%), which specializes in providing cooling and power solutions for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, soared 36.9% in February, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. For context, last month the S&P 500 index edged down 0.9% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index dropped 3.4%. Vertiv shares pulled back 5.2% on Tuesday, March 3, amid the market decline driven by the Iran war. But they are still up a whopping 50.9% year to date through March 3. Now, let's dig into why Vertiv stock had such a great February performance. Image source: Getty Images. A strong fourth-quarter report On Feb. 11, Vertiv stock surged 24.5%. The catalyst was the company's release of its fourth-quarter 2025 report. Shares were already up 7.2% for the month before the earnings release. And after the earnings release, they moved up slightly through the remainder of the month. In Q4, Vertiv's revenue grew 23% year over year to $2.88 billion. Organic revenue growth (growth in businesses owned for at least one year) was 19%. Revenue growth was primarily driven by robust demand for cooling and power solutions for artificial intelligence data centers. Earnings per share (EPS), adjusted for one-time items, increased 37% year over year to $1.36, beating the Wall Street consensus estimate of $1.30. The company has exceeded analysts' expectations in four of the last four quarters. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention a couple of powerful metrics: Vertiv's book-to-bill ratio and its cash flows. In the fourth quarter, the book-to-bill ratio was 2.9x, with backlog increasing to $15.0 billion, up 109% from the same period last year. A book-to-bill ratio over 1.0 indicates rising demand for a company's product. Operating cash flow was $1.01 billion and adjusted free cash flow was $910 million, an increase of 136% and 151%, respectively, compared to the prior-year period. ExpandNYSE: VRTVertivToday's Change(-5.16%) $-13.31Current Price$244.44Key Data PointsMarket Cap$94BDay's Range$234.72 - $248.2252wk Range$53.60 - $264.86Volume42KAvg Vol6.2MGross Margin34.26%Dividend Yield0.07% Powerful 2026 guidance Full-year 2026 guidance was, perhaps, an even bigger reason than the Q4 results for Vertiv stock shooting higher after the earnings release. Guidance crushed Wall Street estimates, particularly on the bottom line. For 2026, management guided for the following: Revenue of $13.25 billion to $13.75 billion, with annual organic growth of 27% to 29%. Adjusted EPS of $5.97 to $6.07, which translates to annual growth of 43% at the midpoint. Going into the earnings release, Wall Street had been modeling for 2026 revenue of $12.4 billion and adjusted EPS of $5.33. So, Vertiv sprinted by both expectations, with the profit guidance beat particularly large. Notably, Vertiv is a Nvidia partner and has collaborated with the AI chip leader on several projects.Read NextFeb 18, 2026 •By Harsh ChauhanThis Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock Could Be the Steal of 2026Feb 11, 2026 •By Keith NoonanWhy Vertiv Stock Is Skyrocketing TodayJan 27, 2026 •By James BrumleyCathie Wood's Ark Invest Predicts AI Infrastructure Will Hit $1.4 Trillion by 2030: 3 Stocks to Buy This YearJan 23, 2026 •By James BrumleyThe Smartest Growth Stock to Buy With $1,000 Right NowDec 31, 2025 •By John BromelsThese Dividend Stocks Could Profit From the AI Power SurgeDec 29, 2025 •By James BrumleyCould Vertiv Become the Next Essential AI Infrastructure Stock?About the AuthorBeth McKenna is a contributing writer for The Motley Fool covering stocks and ETFs across various sectors, with a focus on artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. Beth previously worked in risk management for major property and casualty insurers. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Engineering from Lafayette College and completed graduate-level coursework in business at Rutgers University.TMFMcKennaStocks MentionedVertivNYSE: VRT$244.17(-5.27%)-$13.58NvidiaNASDAQ: NVDA$180.05(-1.33%)-$2.43*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.