Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT) Stock Rating Upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan upgraded Virtu Financial from “neutral” to “overweight” and set an $84 price target, implying approximately 43.3% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment is generally positive: Virtu has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $63.80, with five Buy, two Hold and one Sell rating.
• Virtu reported quarterly EPS of $1.82 on $984.69 million in revenue, while two directors recently sold shares; insiders own 46.76% of the company and institutional investors own 45.78%.

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $84.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target would suggest a potential upside of 43.33% from the company's previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Evercore raised Virtu Financial to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Virtu Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Virtu Financial from $51.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Virtu Financial in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Virtu Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $63.80.

Virtu Financial Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Virtu Financial stock opened at $58.61 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.74, a P/E/G ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50 day moving average of $59.54 and a 200 day moving average of $55.39. Virtu Financial has a 52-week low of $31.55 and a 52-week high of $68.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter. Virtu Financial had a net margin of 13.50% and a return on equity of 49.06%. The firm had revenue of $984.69 million during the quarter. Virtu Financial has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.820-1.820 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Virtu Financial will post 6.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John Nixon sold 9,094 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.13, for a total value of $546,822.22. Following the sale, the director directly owned 30,902 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,137.26. This represents a 22.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph Grano, Jr. sold 8,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.94, for a total transaction of $511,896.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 33,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,060,625.16. This trade represents a 19.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 46.76% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Virtu Financial

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Virtu Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $88,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in Virtu Financial by 172.7% during the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,688 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 1,069 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 24.5% in the 1st quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 2,224 shares of the company's stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 246.7% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,593 shares of the company's stock worth $114,000 after acquiring an additional 1,845 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nykredit A S purchased a new stake in Virtu Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $192,000. 45.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Virtu Financial Company Profile

Virtu Financial, Inc is a global financial services company that provides liquidity and execution services to the financial markets. Through its market-making business, the company buys and sells securities across a range of asset classes, including equities, exchange-traded funds, options, fixed income, foreign exchange and commodities. Its activities help facilitate trading for investors and other market participants.

Virtu also provides institutional clients with technology, trading tools, analytics and workflow solutions through its execution services business.

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