Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) Shares Sold by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. lowered its holdings in Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT - Free Report) by 21.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,932 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 10,889 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P.'s holdings in Virtu Financial were worth $1,460,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 180.0% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 948,590 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,846,000 after purchasing an additional 609,821 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Virtu Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $12,196,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Virtu Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $12,018,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in Virtu Financial by 28.3% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 834,418 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,027,000 after purchasing an additional 183,823 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. grew its position in Virtu Financial by 538.4% during the 4th quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 193,812 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $6,915,000 after purchasing an additional 163,454 shares during the last quarter. 45.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Brett Fairclough sold 72,967 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.84, for a total transaction of $2,688,104.28. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 90,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,343,193.16. This trade represents a 44.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Stephen Cavoli sold 34,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $1,271,940.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 157,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,899,669.23. This represents a 17.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 140,967 shares of company stock worth $5,213,964 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 46.70% of the company's stock.

Virtu Financial Trading Up 6.2 %

Virtu Financial stock traded up $2.41 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $41.00. The stock had a trading volume of 457,942 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,189,356. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Virtu Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.92 and a 52-week high of $41.38. The firm has a market cap of $6.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a fifty day moving average of $36.73 and a 200 day moving average of $36.05.

Virtu Financial (NASDAQ:VIRT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.19. Virtu Financial had a net margin of 9.61% and a return on equity of 27.39%. On average, analysts anticipate that Virtu Financial, Inc. will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Virtu Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. Virtu Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VIRT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Virtu Financial from $56.00 to $48.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Virtu Financial from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut shares of Virtu Financial from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $26.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Virtu Financial currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $32.21.

Virtu Financial Company Profile

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.