VRT stock jumps 16% as Vertiv's AI data-centre orders more than double
By Rohit SharmaMarkets Analyst, Peepals Business
Representative image: ugoxuqu / Pixabay
Vertiv shares jumped about 16% pre-market on October 28, 2026 after Q3 sales rose 61% to $4.31 billion and organic orders more than doubled.
What Happened
Shares of Vertiv Holdings, the US company that supplies power and cooling equipment for data centres, jumped about 16% in pre-market trading on October 28, 2026, after it reported third-quarter results well ahead of forecasts and raised its outlook for the full year. Vertiv said net sales rose 61% from a year earlier to $4.31 billion, against a FactSet consensus of $3.76 billion, while organic orders, which leave out the effect of acquisitions, more than doubled. Diluted earnings per share rose 91% to $1.95, and the company lifted its 2026 sales guidance by $650 million to a range of $14.45 billion to $14.85 billion.
Key Facts
- Third-quarter 2026 net sales were $4,313 million, up 61% year on year; about 55 percentage points of the growth was organic and roughly 6 came from acquisitions.
- Organic orders grew more than 100% compared with the same quarter of 2025.
- Diluted EPS rose 91% to $1.95; adjusted diluted EPS rose 78% to $2.21.
- Adjusted operating margin was 25.2%, up 2.9 percentage points.
- Full-year 2026 sales guidance was raised by $650 million to $14.45-14.85 billion.
- For the fourth quarter, Vertiv expects net sales of about $4.41 billion and organic growth of about 50%, at the midpoint of its range.
Why It Matters
Every large artificial intelligence system runs on rows of servers packed with powerful chips, and those chips consume large amounts of electricity and give off heat. Vertiv sells the equipment that keeps them running: power systems and the cooling that stops data halls from overheating. That puts it in the "picks and shovels" part of the AI boom, earning money whichever AI company wins, as long as data centres keep being built.
The most important number in the report is orders. Sales show what was delivered this quarter; orders show what customers have committed to buy. Organic orders more than doubling suggests that data-centre operators are still placing large commitments for equipment to be delivered in the coming quarters. That is why investors reacted so strongly: it is evidence that spending on AI infrastructure has not slowed.
The results also arrived at a sensitive time. In recent weeks investors have worried about whether the AI build-out is overheating, and Chinese technology shares have fallen sharply. Strong numbers from a supplier such as Vertiv point the other way, at least for the United States, where cloud companies keep expanding capacity. The same morning showed how mixed the picture can be: solar equipment maker Enphase fell about 17% in pre-market trade after weak sales figures.
For Indian investors, Vertiv is one of the US stocks now easier to buy through local trading apps that have opened access to US markets. It also matters indirectly: India's own data-centre industry is growing, and global demand for cooling and power equipment affects prices and supply for projects in India.
| Measure | Q3 2026 | Change from Q3 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Net sales | $4,313 million | +61% |
| Diluted EPS | $1.95 | +91% |
| Adjusted diluted EPS | $2.21 | +78% |
| Adjusted operating margin | 25.2% | +2.9 points |
Impact
Short-term: The beat and higher guidance lifted Vertiv's shares sharply and may support other AI-infrastructure suppliers, such as power and cooling equipment makers, in the days ahead.
Long-term: If orders keep growing at this pace, Vertiv's sales should keep rising into 2027. The risk is that any slowdown in data-centre spending by big cloud companies would hit suppliers like Vertiv quickly, so its stock is likely to stay volatile.
Who is affected: Vertiv shareholders, including Indian retail investors buying US stocks, data-centre operators and cloud companies, and rival makers of power and cooling equipment. This report is for information and is not investment advice.
Key Takeaway
Vertiv's 61% sales jump, doubled orders and raised outlook show that spending on AI data-centre infrastructure is still accelerating, and its stock surged on the news.
Questions and Answers
Why did VRT stock jump on October 28, 2026?
Vertiv reported third-quarter sales of $4.31 billion, up 61% and well above the $3.76 billion analysts expected, said organic orders more than doubled, and raised its full-year sales forecast by $650 million. The shares rose about 16% before the market opened.
What does Vertiv do?
It makes power and cooling equipment for data centres, which are needed to run the servers and chips behind AI services and cloud computing.
What is Vertiv's new forecast for 2026?
It now expects full-year net sales of $14.45 billion to $14.85 billion, and fourth-quarter sales of about $4.41 billion at the midpoint.
What are "organic orders"?
They are new customer orders excluding any boost from companies Vertiv bought. Organic orders more than doubling means demand grew strongly from Vertiv's existing business.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Rohit Sharma, Markets AnalystCovers Markets Watch and more for Peepals Business. All stories by Rohit Sharma
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Rohit Sharma is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
