Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC Has $1.33 Million Stock Position in Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS)

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC lessened its position in Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS - Free Report) by 36.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,042 shares of the closed-end fund's stock after selling 3,478 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Virtus Investment Partners worth $1,333,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 170.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners in the 4th quarter worth about $75,000. KBC Group NV grew its position in Virtus Investment Partners by 61.2% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 395 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $87,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new position in Virtus Investment Partners during the 4th quarter valued at about $209,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp acquired a new position in Virtus Investment Partners during the 4th quarter valued at about $249,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.52% of the company's stock.

Virtus Investment Partners Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTS traded up $1.83 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $178.33. 43,779 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 40,540. Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. has a 52 week low of $142.18 and a 52 week high of $252.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 11.86 and a current ratio of 11.86. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $163.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $197.03. The company has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.55 and a beta of 1.47.

Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The closed-end fund reported $5.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.68 by $0.05. Virtus Investment Partners had a net margin of 13.42% and a return on equity of 21.56%. The company had revenue of $217.93 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $201.99 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.41 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. will post 27.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Virtus Investment Partners Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $2.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.05%. Virtus Investment Partners's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.41%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on VRTS shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $149.00 to $152.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Barclays set a $150.00 target price on shares of Virtus Investment Partners and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $216.00 to $211.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $220.00 to $158.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Virtus Investment Partners from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $167.75.

Virtus Investment Partners Company Profile

Virtus Investment Partners, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to individual and institutional clients. It launches separate client focused equity and fixed income portfolios. The firm launches equity, fixed income, and balanced mutual funds for its clients.