Skip to navigationSkip to main contentSkip to right columnADVERTISEMENTBilly Duberstein, The Motley FoolTue, August 11, 2026 at 3:27 PM GMT+2 3 min readShares of AI infrastructure provider Vertiv (NYSE: VRT) plunged 27.9% in July, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence.Vertiv is one of the main infrastructure suppliers for AI data centers, supplying electricity and water-cooling systems that are becoming increasingly important as the latest AI-powered chips consume more energy.Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »The company delivered what appeared to be a solid earnings report toward the end of the month. Still, the report wasn't "perfect," and Vertiv appeared to get caught up in the negative sentiment surrounding AI semiconductors in July, following a huge run-up in their stock prices during the first half of the year.Vertiv posts strong growth, but not enough for skittish investorsIn July, market sentiment turned sharply negative toward AI-related semiconductor stocks and "AI-adjacent" industrial stocks that serve AI data centers, such as Vertiv.A combination of prominent short-seller Michael Burry promoting his short bets against AI stocks, the release of China's Kimi 3 open-weight model, and the "blow-up" of AI-focused hedge fund Situational Awareness conspired to send virtually all AI stocks into a tailspin in July.Vertiv is seen as a key player within the AI data center build-out, providing electrical systems and cooling systems, so it wasn't spared. The predictably negative reaction to a fairly strong but imperfect earnings report at the end of the month capped off a brutal month.In the second quarter, Vertiv's revenue grew 24% to $3.72 billion, while adjusted (non-GAAP) earnings per share surged 60% to $1.52 per share. While earnings growth beat Wall Street's expectations, even the robust 24% revenue growth figure fell slightly short. Vertiv had grown 30% in its prior quarter, so perhaps that imperfection caused the post-earnings sell-off, as investors were in an unforgiving mood.Image source: Getty Images.But the pessimism seems misplacedThe good news for investors is that the "disappointing" second-quarter revenue appears to be due to timing issues rather than a lack of demand. Vertiv forecasts revenue to reaccelerate in the second half of the year, raising third-quarter revenue guidance by $400 million and full-year guidance by $250 million at the midpoint of the range. That implies some revenue spilled from the second quarter to the third quarter, while the overall outlook for the full year actually improved.Terms and Privacy PolicyEU DSA contactPrivacy & Cookie SettingsMore Info