Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the seven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $43.00.

A number of analysts have recently commented on VIRT shares. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Virtu Financial from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Bank of America raised Virtu Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Virtu Financial from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Virtu Financial from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th.

Virtu Financial Price Performance

Shares of VIRT stock opened at $37.59 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $35.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $36.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.49. Virtu Financial has a 52-week low of $31.55 and a 52-week high of $45.77. The stock has a market cap of $5.75 billion, a PE ratio of 10.86, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.61.

Virtu Financial (NASDAQ:VIRT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.73. Virtu Financial had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 32.08%. The company had revenue of $969.89 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $513.51 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Virtu Financial will post 3.13 EPS for the current year.

Virtu Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. Virtu Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Virtu Financial

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in Virtu Financial by 96.0% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 582 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its holdings in Virtu Financial by 3,460.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 712 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 692 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 258.3% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 713 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 514 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 103.8% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 760 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 972 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 45.78% of the company’s stock.

Virtu Financial Company Profile

Virtu Financial, Inc (NASDAQ: VIRT) is a leading global electronic trading firm specializing in market making, liquidity provision and trade execution services across a broad range of asset classes. Leveraging advanced quantitative models and proprietary trading technology, Virtu provides continuous bid and ask quotes in equities, fixed income, foreign exchange, commodities and digital assets. The firm’s infrastructure is designed to operate at high speeds and low latencies, enabling tight spreads and efficient price discovery for its clients.

In addition to its market-making activities, Virtu offers agency execution services, algorithmic trading strategies and transaction cost analysis tools.