Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Analysts

Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) has earned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the five brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $169.00.

VRTS has been the subject of several recent research reports. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Virtus Investment Partners from $180.00 to $173.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Zacks Research raised shares of Virtus Investment Partners from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Virtus Investment Partners in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $168.00 to $155.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $218.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Virtus Investment Partners

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VRTS. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 306,375 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $49,985,000 after acquiring an additional 1,586 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Virtus Investment Partners by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 300,098 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $48,961,000 after purchasing an additional 2,917 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Virtus Investment Partners by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 297,128 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $48,477,000 after purchasing an additional 6,885 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Virtus Investment Partners by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 245,344 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $40,028,000 after purchasing an additional 15,987 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 23.8% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 155,881 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $29,622,000 after buying an additional 29,919 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.52% of the company’s stock.

Virtus Investment Partners Trading Up 1.0%

VRTS stock opened at $142.29 on Thursday. Virtus Investment Partners has a 12-month low of $134.81 and a 12-month high of $215.06. The business’s 50-day moving average is $158.55 and its 200 day moving average is $172.23. The company has a current ratio of 11.86, a quick ratio of 11.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $961.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.42 and a beta of 1.47.

Virtus Investment Partners Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 11th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, January 31st were issued a dividend of $2.40 per share. This represents a $9.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Virtus Investment Partners’s payout ratio is currently 48.02%.

About Virtus Investment Partners

Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ: VRTS) is a publicly traded investment management company headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. The firm offers a broad range of investment solutions to institutional, high-net-wealth, and retail investors, drawing on the expertise of multiple affiliated investment teams. Since its founding in 1995, Virtus has grown by integrating specialized asset managers and expanding its product lineup, while maintaining a focus on active management across diverse market environments.

The company’s product suite encompasses mutual funds, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), collective trusts, UCITS funds, and separately managed accounts.