Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires Shares of 5,694 Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 5,694 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock, valued at approximately $981,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.08% of Virtus Investment Partners at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Virtus Investment Partners by 30.2% during the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 366 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in Virtus Investment Partners during the 4th quarter valued at $209,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Virtus Investment Partners during the fourth quarter worth approximately $280,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in Virtus Investment Partners in the 4th quarter valued at $353,000. Finally, MQS Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners in the first quarter valued at approximately $283,000. Institutional investors own 80.52% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Virtus Investment Partners from $211.00 to $234.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Virtus Investment Partners from $220.00 to $158.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays increased their price target on Virtus Investment Partners from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen raised Virtus Investment Partners from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $171.00 target price on Virtus Investment Partners and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $188.25.

Virtus Investment Partners Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of VRTS opened at $189.91 on Friday. Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. has a twelve month low of $142.18 and a twelve month high of $252.82. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $187.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.94. The company has a quick ratio of 11.86, a current ratio of 11.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a PE ratio of 11.24 and a beta of 1.44.

Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The closed-end fund reported $6.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.17 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $210.53 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $191.90 million. Virtus Investment Partners had a return on equity of 21.56% and a net margin of 13.42%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.53 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. will post 27.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Virtus Investment Partners Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $2.25 per share. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. Virtus Investment Partners’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.82%.

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.