Analysts Set Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) PT at $31.36

Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $31.36.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target 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 increased their target price on shares of Virtu Financial from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th.

Virtu Financial Stock Performance

Shares of VIRT opened at $37.71 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $35.28. Virtu Financial has a 12 month low of $20.15 and a 12 month high of $41.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.57.

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

Virtu Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Virtu Financial’s payout ratio is 32.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Stephen Cavoli sold 34,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $1,271,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Brett Fairclough sold 72,967 shares of Virtu Financial stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 90,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,343,193.16. The trade was a 44.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 140,967 shares of company stock worth $5,213,964 in the last ninety days. 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 bought and sold shares of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in Virtu Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $954,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position 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 buying an additional 3,468 shares in the last quarter. Brucke Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Virtu Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $240,000. Virtue Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 28,967 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,034,000 after acquiring an additional 1,849 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 12.1% in 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 valued at $7,118,000 after acquiring an additional 21,503 shares in the last quarter. 45.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.