Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) Position Boosted by D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) by 43.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,802 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock after buying an additional 2,357 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned about 0.11% of Virtus Investment Partners worth $1,721,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Virtus Investment Partners by 170.3% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Virtus Investment Partners in the fourth quarter worth approximately $75,000. KBC Group NV lifted its position in Virtus Investment Partners by 61.2% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 395 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in Virtus Investment Partners in the fourth quarter worth approximately $209,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp acquired a new stake in Virtus Investment Partners in the fourth quarter worth approximately $249,000. 80.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Virtus Investment Partners Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTS opened at $171.33 on Thursday. Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. has a one year low of $142.18 and a one year high of $252.82. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $163.35 and a 200-day moving average of $196.11. The company has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a PE ratio of 10.14 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 11.86 and a current ratio of 11.86.

Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The closed-end fund reported $5.73 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.68 by $0.05. Virtus Investment Partners had a return on equity of 21.56% and a net margin of 13.42%. The company had revenue of $217.93 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $201.99 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.41 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. will post 27.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Virtus Investment Partners Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $2.25 per share. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.25%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. Virtus Investment Partners’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Virtus Investment Partners from $216.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. StockNews.com upgraded Virtus Investment Partners from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Virtus Investment Partners from $149.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Virtus Investment Partners from $220.00 to $158.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays set a $150.00 price objective on Virtus Investment Partners and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Virtus Investment Partners has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $167.75.

Virtus Investment Partners Profile

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.