We recently published a list of the 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE:VRT) stands against other hidden AI stocks.
David Grain, Founder & CEO of Grain Management, joined CNBC on May 1 to discuss the AI-driven demand for data centers and tariff uncertainty. The main concerns regarding tariffs are the potential impact on costs, the resilience of supply chains, and the overall effect on business operations and their expansion. He also shared his perspective on why investors are still confident in the broadband and digital infrastructure sector. He characterized broadband as universally essential and emphasised that the demand for faster connectivity has not slowed, which is why the regulatory support for broadband expansion is globally robust. Grain noted that the administration has also met expectations for lighter regulation in the infrastructure sector, which makes it easier to advance projects and close deals. He described the admin’s stance as pro-growth and supportive of secure and competitive networks. Grain also observed that infrastructure, especially broadband, is an area where there is bipartisan support, given its positive impact on economic growth at both the state and local levels.
DeepSeek’s announcement was also followed by reports that suggested that some companies might be pulling back on data center spending. However, the latest earnings reports appeared to settle at least this debate and confirmed that the investments in this sector were still ongoing. David Grain elaborated on the current trends in data center investments and also stated that the demand for data centers is rising due to the increasing expansion of AI, as it requires vast amounts of computing power. He explained that while the demand here is not slowing, the feasibility of building new data centers is still influenced by the availability of reliable and high-capacity electricity.
Our Methodology
We sifted through financial media reports to compile a list of the top hidden AI stocks with AI-related operations and opportunities. We then selected the 11 stocks that were the most popular among elite hedge funds and that analysts were bullish on. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of the number of hedge funds that have stakes in them, as of Q4 2024.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
A close-up of a group of technicians working on complex data center systems.
Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE:VRT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 92
Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE:VRT) designs, manufactures, and services critical digital infrastructure technologies and life cycle services for data centers, among other applications. The company’s AI-ready power, cooling, and IT infrastructure offerings are also designed to run AI workloads even during outages, which minimizes dependency on utility providers.
In Q1 2025, Vertiv’s net sales were up 25% year-over-year, partly due to the growth in its data center market. The backlog also expanded to $7.9 billion, which was up $1.6 billion year-over-year. The company is partnering with players like NVIDIA, as shown by the collaboration on the iGenius project to deliver fully prefabricated AI factories.
Bank of America Securities analyst Andrew Obin recently reiterated a Buy rating on the stock with a $165 price target. This sentiment comes from factors that highlight the promising long-term demand outlook for Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE:VRT). Despite the short-term challenges, the company’s growth in the Americas is a strong point.
Hardman Johnston Global Equity Strategy stated the following regarding Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE:VRT) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:
“From a sector standpoint, the main drivers of the portfolio’s outperformance during the fourth quarter were Industrials and Materials. Within Industrials, Howmet Aerospace, Inc. and Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE:VRT) were the largest contributors to outperformance. Vertiv has been a stellar performer for the past year and beyond. The global leader in data center thermal and electrical equipment continued to execute on its record backlog, with strong order flow largely related to AI-driven data center demand. Data center operators and hyperscalers are partnering with the company to develop next generation designs to optimize power and thermal efficiency. Vertiv’s global service network is uniquely positioned to help clients design and maintain these important data centers.”
Overall, VRT ranks 2nd on our list of the hidden AI stocks to buy right now. While we acknowledge the growth potential of VRT, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold great promise for delivering high returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than VRT but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.