Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) Shares Sold by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. lessened its position in Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 103,931 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock after selling 4,161 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Virtus Investment Partners were worth $25,126,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VRTS. Chase Investment Counsel Corp boosted its stake in Virtus Investment Partners by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp now owns 4,800 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $1,160,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 305.1% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 7,705 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $1,863,000 after buying an additional 5,803 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in Virtus Investment Partners by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 221 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Virtus Investment Partners during the 4th quarter valued at about $222,000. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in Virtus Investment Partners in the 4th quarter valued at about $822,000. 80.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Virtus Investment Partners Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VRTS opened at $230.87 on Thursday. Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.00 and a 1 year high of $263.39. The company has a market capitalization of $1.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.91 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $234.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $224.20.

Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The closed-end fund reported $5.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $5.41. Virtus Investment Partners had a return on equity of 19.68% and a net margin of 14.02%. The company had revenue of $200.24 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $203.54 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. will post 26.43 EPS for the current year.

Virtus Investment Partners Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a $1.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $7.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.29%. Virtus Investment Partners’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on VRTS. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Virtus Investment Partners from $211.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Virtus Investment Partners from $275.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 29th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Virtus Investment Partners from $245.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Virtus Investment Partners from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th.

About Virtus Investment Partners

Virtus Investment Partners, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to individual and institutional clients. It launches separate client focused equity and fixed income portfolios. The firm launches equity, fixed income, and balanced mutual funds for its clients.