Zacks Research Predicts Lower Earnings for Virtu Financial

Key Points

• Zacks Research lowered Virtu Financial’s Q3 2028 EPS estimate to $1.39 from $1.40 and maintained a “Hold” rating. The consensus estimate for full-year earnings is $6.38 per share.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with three Buy, three Hold, and one Sell rating; the stock has an average “Hold” rating and a $58.80 price target.
• Virtu Financial shares opened at $55.58, while the company continues to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.24, equivalent to an annualized $0.96 payout and a 1.7% yield.

Virtu Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VIRT - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research dropped their Q3 2028 earnings per share estimates for shares of Virtu Financial in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, September 25th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $1.39 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.40. Zacks Research currently has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Virtu Financial's current full-year earnings is $6.38 per share.

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $984.69 million for the quarter. Virtu Financial had a return on equity of 49.06% and a net margin of 13.50%.Virtu Financial has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.820-1.820 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on VIRT. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Virtu Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Virtu Financial from $61.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Virtu Financial from $51.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Virtu Financial in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Virtu Financial from $39.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $58.80.

Virtu Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VIRT opened at $55.58 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Virtu Financial has a 1-year low of $31.55 and a 1-year high of $68.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.23, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $59.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $55.25.

Virtu Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st were paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Virtu Financial's dividend payout ratio is 15.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Joseph J. Grano, Jr. sold 8,400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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. The trade was a 19.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director John Nixon sold 9,094 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.13, for a total transaction of $546,822.22. Following the transaction, the director owned 30,902 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,858,137.26. This represents a 22.74% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 46.76% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Virtu Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VIRT. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,310 shares of the company's stock valued at $376,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 34,568 shares of the company's stock worth $1,520,000 after buying an additional 362 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 23,815 shares of the company's stock worth $1,419,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its stake in Virtu Financial by 24.5% in the first quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 2,224 shares of the company's stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in Virtu Financial by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,663 shares of the company's stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 457 shares during the last quarter. 45.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Virtu Financial

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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