Zacks Research Predicts Higher Earnings for Virtu Financial

Virtu Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VIRT) – Zacks Research boosted their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Virtu Financial in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $1.08 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.07. Zacks Research has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Virtu Financial’s Q2 2026 earnings at $0.98 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.22 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on VIRT. Weiss Ratings raised Virtu Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised Virtu Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Virtu Financial from $57.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Virtu Financial from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Virtu Financial from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Virtu Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $44.43.

Virtu Financial Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:VIRT opened at $48.55 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $7.51 billion, a price-to-earnings 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $41.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $37.04.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Virtu Financial

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 692 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 258.3% during 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. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Virtu Financial by 103.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Virtu Financial by 480.6% in the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 692 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in Virtu Financial by 51.9% in the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.78% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Joseph Molluso sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.88, for a total transaction of $7,776,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 326,585 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,697,624.80. This represents a 37.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen Cavoli sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.61, for a total value of $1,128,300.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 174,561 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,565,239.21. This trade represents a 14.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 270,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,458,644. Company insiders own 47.20% of the company’s stock.

Virtu Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Virtu Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.71%.

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.