Algert Global LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT)

Algert Global LLC increased its position in Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT - Free Report) by 99.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 166,875 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 83,099 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC owned 0.11% of Virtu Financial worth $5,954,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VIRT. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new stake in Virtu Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $563,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 42.9% during the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 52,830 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,885,000 after acquiring an additional 15,861 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 32.2% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 874,770 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,212,000 after buying an additional 213,013 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 48.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,448,866 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $51,696,000 after purchasing an additional 471,526 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Virtu Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $10,471,000. Institutional investors own 45.78% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on VIRT shares. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $40.00 price target (up previously from $38.00) on shares of Virtu Financial in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Virtu Financial from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Virtu Financial from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Virtu Financial from $56.00 to $48.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Virtu Financial from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Virtu Financial presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $37.88.

Insider Activity at Virtu Financial

In other news, COO Brett Fairclough sold 72,967 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.84, for a total transaction of $2,688,104.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 90,749 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,343,193.16. This represents a 44.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Douglas A. Cifu sold 178,320 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.57, for a total value of $6,877,802.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 408,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,770,000.19. This trade represents a 30.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 496,848 shares of company stock worth $18,995,338 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 47.20% of the company's stock.

Virtu Financial Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of Virtu Financial stock traded up $0.67 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $43.15. The company's stock had a trading volume of 910,969 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,189,387. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $36.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.53, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.68. Virtu Financial, Inc. has a 1-year low of $21.55 and a 1-year high of $43.45.

Virtu Financial (NASDAQ:VIRT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $497.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $444.23 million. Virtu Financial had a return on equity of 27.39% and a net margin of 9.61%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 30.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.76 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Virtu Financial, Inc. will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Virtu Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Virtu Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.75%.

About Virtu Financial

Virtu Financial, Inc operates as a financial services company in the United States, Asia Pacific, Canada, EMEA, Ireland, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Market Making and Execution Services. Its product includes offerings in execution, liquidity sourcing, analytics and broker-neutral, capital markets, and multi-dealer platforms in workflow technology.