Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Virtu Financial’s Q1 2026 earnings at $1.08 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.98 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.22 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on VIRT. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Virtu Financial from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Virtu Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Virtu Financial from $57.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Virtu Financial from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Virtu Financial has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $44.43.

Virtu Financial Stock Performance

Shares of Virtu Financial stock opened at $48.55 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.51 billion, a PE ratio of 9.46, a PEG ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 0.54. Virtu Financial has a 12 month low of $31.55 and a 12 month high of $49.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $41.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.04.

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.73. The business had revenue of $969.89 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $513.51 million. Virtu Financial had a return on equity of 48.35% and a net margin of 12.90%.The firm’s revenue was up 16.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.14 EPS.

Virtu Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. Virtu Financial’s payout ratio is presently 18.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Stephen Cavoli sold 28,370 shares of Virtu Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.94, for a total value of $1,104,727.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 116,191 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,524,477.54. The trade was a 19.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Joseph Molluso sold 200,000 shares of Virtu Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.88, for a total transaction of $7,776,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 326,585 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,697,624.80. The trade was a 37.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 270,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,458,644. 47.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 3,460.0% during the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 712 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 692 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 258.3% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 713 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares during the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 480.6% in the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 836 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 692 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 103.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 760 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 93.7% in the third quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management now owns 978 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. 45.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Virtu Financial News

Here are the key news stories impacting Virtu Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded VIRT to a “Strong Buy” and raised Q1/Q2/FY2027 EPS estimates, signaling higher near-term earnings expectations that support the stock. Zacks Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks and other Zacks pieces have also highlighted VIRT as a momentum pick and added it to “Strong Buy” / momentum lists, which can attract flow from momentum and quant strategies. Zacks Momentum List
• Positive Sentiment: Industry research and commentary (InsiderMonkey citing Piper Sandler) expect a strong quarter and record volumes, and Piper Sandler raised its PT to $61 and reiterated an Overweight rating — a bullish signal for upside if volumes materialize. InsiderMonkey / Piper Sandler
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage pieces note Virtu among the most profitable stocks and highlight strong profitability metrics, supporting longer-term confidence in the business model. Most Profitable Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: General momentum commentary and multiple Zacks write-ups increase visibility and may boost short-term trading interest, but do not guarantee sustained moves absent confirming results. Zacks Momentum Feature
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $39 but kept an “underweight” rating — that PT implies material downside versus the current market level and likely pressured the stock intraday as a large-bank negative view. Benzinga on Morgan Stanley Note

About Virtu Financial

Virtu Financial, Inc is a technology-driven electronic trading firm and market maker that provides liquidity and price discovery across a wide range of financial instruments. Leveraging advanced analytics, high-performance computing and proprietary algorithms, Virtu operates in equities, fixed income, foreign exchange, commodities and derivative products. Its technology platform is designed to capture bid-ask spreads in real time, manage risk through automated controls and adapt to changing market conditions.

The company offers a suite of execution services and market-making solutions to institutional clients such as asset managers, banks, broker-dealers and hedge funds.