Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS) Price Target Cut to $125.00 by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS) had its price objective decreased by Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $125.00 in a research note published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an underweight rating on the closed-end fund’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on VRTS. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of Virtus Investment Partners in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Zacks Research upgraded Virtus Investment Partners from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Virtus Investment Partners from $218.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on Virtus Investment Partners from $180.00 to $173.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $161.50.

Virtus Investment Partners Stock Performance

NASDAQ VRTS opened at $131.25 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $141.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $161.09. The firm has a market cap of $878.72 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.77 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 11.86 and a quick ratio of 11.86. Virtus Investment Partners has a 1 year low of $124.70 and a 1 year high of $215.06.

Virtus Investment Partners Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a $2.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $9.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.3%. Virtus Investment Partners’s payout ratio is currently 48.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director W Howard Morris bought 2,150 shares of Virtus Investment Partners stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $129.34 per share, with a total value of $278,081.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $258,680. The trade was a -1,433.33% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Virtus Investment Partners

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in Virtus Investment Partners by 2.7% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 3,952 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $681,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 10.8% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 58,788 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $10,133,000 after buying an additional 5,734 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 57.4% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 15,543 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $2,679,000 after buying an additional 5,671 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 20.8% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,587 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $1,135,000 after buying an additional 1,134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,706 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $1,761,000 after buying an additional 604 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.52% of the company’s stock.

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.