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

Shares of Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat 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 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $30.21.

A number of brokerages recently commented on VIRT. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Virtu Financial from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Virtu Financial from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Citigroup raised their target price on Virtu Financial from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Virtu Financial from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Virtu Financial from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd.

Virtu Financial Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ VIRT opened at $35.99 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $5.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 0.45. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $36.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.77. Virtu Financial has a 1 year low of $16.02 and a 1 year high of $38.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.47.

Virtu Financial (NASDAQ:VIRT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.03. Virtu Financial had a return on equity of 23.22% and a net margin of 7.29%. The company had revenue of $388.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $379.18 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.40 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 30.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Virtu Financial will post 2.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Virtu Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Investors of record on Sunday, December 1st were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.67%. Virtu Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.24%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 38.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,974,095 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $151,511,000 after purchasing an additional 1,368,419 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 3.5% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,643,686 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $81,801,000 after buying an additional 124,563 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Virtu Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,815,000. Old West Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Virtu Financial by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Old West Investment Management LLC now owns 681,441 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,298,000 after buying an additional 28,199 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Portolan Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Virtu Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $11,918,000. 45.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.