Vertiv (VRT) Stock Surges 58% in 2026 — And It Just Got Into the S&P 500

TLDR

• Vertiv (VRT) is joining the S&P 500 as part of the index’s quarterly rebalancing on March 23, 2026.
• The stock has surged 173% over the past 12 months and 58% year-to-date.
• Vertiv’s gains are tied to AI data center spending, liquid cooling, and power management systems.
• The company has been an Nvidia partner network member since 2024.
• The stock hit a record high of $276.78 on March 11, 2026.

Vertiv Holdings (VRT) is officially joining the S&P 500 today, capping a remarkable run driven by one big theme: artificial intelligence.

Vertiv Holdings Co, VRT

The infrastructure provider was added to the benchmark index as part of its quarterly rebalancing. Fellow additions include networking firms Lumentum Holdings and Coherent, plus satellite communications company EchoStar.

Vertiv has more than doubled over the past 12 months, up 173%. Year-to-date, the stock is already up 58%. By comparison, the Nasdaq 100 is down 5.4% over the same 12-month period, though it has gained 21% year-to-date.

On Monday, VRT was trading up 1.8% at $260.57, near the upper end of its 52-week range.

AI Spending Fuels the Rally

The surge in Vertiv’s stock price comes down to one factor: AI infrastructure spending. The company makes liquid cooling and power management systems used in data centers — equipment that became critical as hyperscalers ramped up spending in 2025.

Vertiv has also benefited from its relationship with Nvidia. The company joined Nvidia’s partner network in 2024. That same year, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang specifically called out the partnership as a solution for the power demands created by newer processors.

The stock hit an all-time high of $276.78 on March 11, just a day after closing at a record $270.06 on March 10. The most recent leg of strength began on February 11, after Vertiv beat earnings forecasts and issued solid forward guidance.

Vertiv was first listed on the New York Stock Exchange in February 2020. Its current price levels are the highest since it began trading.

Questions Over What Comes Next

Not everything is straightforward for Vertiv from here. Concerns are growing around the capital expenditures required to fund ongoing data center expansion.

Investors are watching whether hyperscalers — large cloud providers like Amazon, Google parent Alphabet, and Oracle — can sustain this spending. All three have already issued debt specifically to fund data center buildouts, raising questions about long-term free cash flow.

Barron’s named Vertiv a stock pick in August 2024. Since that call, the stock has risen roughly 227%.

Zacks currently rates Vertiv as a top-ranked growth stock, with strong scores across value, growth, and momentum metrics, and holds a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The latest catalyst for the stock was its inclusion in the S&P 500. As of Monday morning, VRT was trading at $260.57.

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