Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $31.36.

VIRT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Virtu Financial from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Virtu Financial from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th.

Virtu Financial Stock Performance

Shares of VIRT stock opened at $38.88 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $37.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $35.18. Virtu Financial has a 52 week low of $20.07 and a 52 week high of $41.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.02 billion, a PE ratio of 13.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.57.

Virtu Financial (NASDAQ:VIRT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.32. Virtu Financial had a net margin of 9.61% and a return on equity of 27.39%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Virtu Financial will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Virtu Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.47%. Virtu Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.32%.

Insider Transactions at Virtu Financial

In related news, EVP Stephen Cavoli sold 34,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $1,271,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 157,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,899,669.23. This represents a 17.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Brett Fairclough sold 72,967 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.84, for a total value of $2,688,104.28. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 90,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,343,193.16. This represents a 44.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 140,967 shares of company stock valued at $5,213,964. Corporate insiders own 46.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Virtu Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VIRT. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in Virtu Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $954,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 26.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,657 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $594,000 after purchasing an additional 3,468 shares during the period. Brucke Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Virtu Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $240,000. Virtue Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 28,967 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,034,000 after purchasing an additional 1,849 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Virtu Financial by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 199,490 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,118,000 after buying an additional 21,503 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.78% of the company’s stock.

Virtu Financial Company Profile

Virtu Financial, Inc operates as a financial services company in the United States, Asia Pacific, Canada, EMEA, Ireland, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Market Making and Execution Services. Its product includes offerings in execution, liquidity sourcing, analytics and broker-neutral, capital markets, and multi-dealer platforms in workflow technology.