Starboard likes what it sees

Article Excerpt

VERTIV HOLDINGS CO. $14 is a hold. The company (New York symbol VRT; Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 377.3 million; Market cap: $5.3 trillion; Dividend yield: 0.1%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.vertiv.com) makes equipment for datacentres, such as uninterruptible power supplies, room cooling systems and server racks. Private equity firm Platinum Equity acquired this business from Emerson Electric in December 2016. In February 2020, it merged with GS Acquisition Holdings, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), and began trading on the New York exchange. The stock is now up 11% since the merger. Activist investor Starboard Value recently revealed that it owns 7.38% of Vertiv. It feels the company is in a strong position to benefit from the shift to cloud computing. As well, former Honeywell chairman and CEO Dave Cote is Vertiv’s executive chairman. Cote has a strong history of improving efficiency and profit margins. However, Starboard may demand board seats or other changes if Vertiv’s earnings growth slows. Vertiv is a hold. hold…