Best Stocks Under 100 to Own Long-Term: Why Vertiv's AI Infrastructure Play Deserves Your Attention

When Wall Street talks about AI winners, the conversation always circles back to chip manufacturers and software developers. But beneath the headlines lies a critical gap in the market that savvy investors are beginning to recognize. While Nvidia has delivered impressive returns, one of the best stocks under 100 to consider for lasting wealth-building is Vertiv Holdings (VRT), a company whose behind-the-scenes technology is becoming indispensable to the entire AI ecosystem.

On February 11, Vertiv reported strong fourth-quarter results accompanied by robust guidance for 2026, sending its stock soaring into fresh territory. The announcement underscored a fundamental reality: the infrastructure layer supporting AI’s explosive growth matters just as much as the processing power itself. Vertiv’s three-year surge of 1,400% has quietly outpaced Nvidia’s 770% climb, a performance gap that speaks volumes about which technologies the market is increasingly rewarding.

The AI Data Center Cooling Crisis: Where Vertiv Steps In

The AI revolution has created an engineering problem that threatens to constrain its own growth. Modern AI hardware generates intense heat that existing cooling infrastructure simply cannot handle efficiently. This isn’t a minor challenge—it’s become one of the most critical bottlenecks in building and scaling data centers worldwide.

Vertiv operates at the epicenter of this challenge. The Columbus, Ohio-based company manufactures the complete technology stack that keeps AI data centers running smoothly: power distribution systems, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), thermal management solutions, and racks & enclosures with integrated monitoring capabilities. Critically, Vertiv is working directly with Nvidia to develop advanced liquid cooling systems specifically designed for cutting-edge AI hardware.

This partnership highlights Vertiv’s strategic position. As an infrastructure provider in the AI arms race, the company benefits from a pick-and-shovel business model—regardless of which AI technologies ultimately dominate the market, the underlying infrastructure demand will only intensify. The 81% year-over-year growth in trailing twelve-month organic orders demonstrates robust market demand, particularly for AI infrastructure solutions.

From Power Management to Liquid Cooling: Vertiv’s Complete Ecosystem

What distinguishes Vertiv among best stocks under 100 is the breadth and depth of its product ecosystem. The company doesn’t merely offer point solutions; it provides an integrated infrastructure platform that addresses multiple critical functions simultaneously.

On the power management side, Vertiv’s uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems and distribution technologies ensure zero downtime during grid fluctuations. These aren’t sexy products in the marketing sense, but they’re absolutely essential. A single power interruption in a hyperscaler’s data center can cost millions of dollars in minutes.

The thermal management segment represents Vertiv’s most innovative growth vector. Traditional air-cooling solutions consume enormous amounts of electricity and struggle with the heat density of modern AI clusters. Liquid cooling bypasses these limitations entirely, delivering significantly better thermal efficiency. As cutting-edge AI chips generate ever more heat per unit area, this technology evolves from nice-to-have to absolutely critical.

Beyond cooling and power, Vertiv’s portfolio includes racks, enclosures, and advanced monitoring systems that provide real-time visibility into data center performance. This integrated approach means customers benefit from simplified procurement, streamlined integration, and optimized interoperability—all factors that drive customer stickiness and recurring revenue.

Explosive Growth Ahead: Vertiv’s Financial Transformation Through 2027

The numbers tell a compelling story about Vertiv’s trajectory. In 2025, the company grew revenue by approximately 28% while adjusted earnings surged roughly 47%. But this is just the beginning.

For 2026, Vertiv provided guidance indicating 34% revenue growth, followed by 24% growth in 2027 to reach $17 billion. To put this in perspective, the company was at just $8.01 billion in revenue in 2024. The projected path to $17 billion represents a doubling in just three years—an extraordinary transformation for a company this size.

The earnings trajectory proves equally impressive. Vertiv’s adjusted EPS is projected to expand 47% in 2026 and 31% in 2027, reaching $8.03 per share. This represents a near-doubling from 2025’s $4.20 and a tenfold increase from 2020’s $0.80. Between 2020 and 2025, the company grew EPS by 420%, establishing a proven track record of operational excellence and market share gains.

What’s particularly noteworthy is that these numbers are backed by genuine market tailwinds, not accounting magic. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company raised its 2026 capex guidance in January to $52-56 billion, dramatically exceeding 2025’s $40.9 billion. Simultaneously, hyperscalers like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta are projected to collectively spend approximately $530 billion on capex in 2026, up from around $400 billion in 2025. This infrastructure buildout will directly flow through to Vertiv’s revenue stream.

The analyst community has taken notice. Vertiv earned a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) designation, with FY26 earnings estimates climbing 15% since Q4 and FY27 estimates jumping 22% higher. When the market consensus keeps moving the goalpost upward, it typically signals that current estimates are proving too conservative.

Is VRT a Best Stock Under 100 to Buy Right Now?

Vertiv’s 52% year-to-date performance and near-neck-and-neck five-year trajectory with Nvidia raise a valid concern: has the stock already run too far too fast? The pessimist’s case focuses on near-term momentum and potential for a pullback.

However, this concern conflates two separate investment concepts: market timing and position building. Trying to time the exact bottom is notoriously difficult and often results in investors sitting passively on the sidelines. A more pragmatic approach involves starting a position at current levels while planning to add during inevitable pullbacks to support levels like the 50-day or 200-day moving average.

From a valuation standpoint, Vertiv trades at a price-to-earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio of 1.2, which is actually reasonable given the growth trajectory. The stock trades roughly in line with the broader technology sector and approximately 15% below its recent highs, suggesting the market has priced in significant optimism but hasn’t become completely divorced from fundamental reality.

The dividend aspect adds another layer of appeal. While best stocks under 100 typically focus on growth, Vertiv’s combination of capital appreciation potential and income generation is increasingly rare. This positions it as a genuine long-term holding rather than a speculative position.

The Path Forward for AI Infrastructure Investors

Vertiv represents a specific category of AI investment that’s often overlooked in favor of flashier semiconductor stories. The company is effectively levering the entire AI arms race through infrastructure provision—a slower, steadier, but ultimately more durable path to returns.

As AI data center buildout accelerates through 2026 and 2027, Vertiv’s position as the primary supplier of critical thermal, power, and management infrastructure will only strengthen. The order backlog stands at record levels, the market demand signal remains robust, and the financial guidance suggests earnings growth that will make current valuations look increasingly attractive.

For investors seeking to diversify AI exposure beyond chip manufacturers while still maintaining direct participation in the AI buildout theme, Vertiv merits serious consideration as one of the best stocks under 100 for long-term wealth building.