53,962 Shares in Virtu Financial, Inc. $VIRT Purchased by Collar Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Collar Capital Management opened a new position in Virtu Financial, buying 53,962 shares worth about $1.8 million in the fourth quarter.
• Virtu Financial reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.24 beating estimates and revenue of $786.53 million topping expectations, while revenue rose 30.7% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.24 per share, and analysts currently have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with a target price of $48.67.

Collar Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Virtu Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VIRT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 53,962 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,798,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in Virtu Financial by 1,624.1% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,000 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 942 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in Virtu Financial during the first quarter worth approximately $222,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in Virtu Financial during the first quarter worth approximately $1,934,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in Virtu Financial by 13.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 226,233 shares of the company's stock worth $8,624,000 after buying an additional 26,743 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning purchased a new position in Virtu Financial during the second quarter worth approximately $235,000. 45.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Virtu Financial

In other news, COO Brett Fairclough sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.06, for a total value of $1,501,800.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 42,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,126,198.38. This trade represents a 41.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 46.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on VIRT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Virtu Financial from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Virtu Financial in a research note on Friday. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Virtu Financial from $57.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Virtu Financial from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Virtu Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $48.67.

Virtu Financial Price Performance

Virtu Financial stock opened at $51.53 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $7.99 billion, a PE ratio of 8.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.62. Virtu Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $31.55 and a 52-week high of $56.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company's 50 day moving average is $49.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.12.

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.58. The company had revenue of $786.53 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $613.12 million. Virtu Financial had a net margin of 14.17% and a return on equity of 51.63%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 30.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Virtu Financial, Inc. will post 5.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Virtu Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Virtu Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.89%.

About Virtu Financial

Virtu Financial, Inc is a technology-driven electronic trading firm and market maker that provides liquidity and price discovery across a wide range of financial instruments. Leveraging advanced analytics, high-performance computing and proprietary algorithms, Virtu operates in equities, fixed income, foreign exchange, commodities and derivative products. Its technology platform is designed to capture bid-ask spreads in real time, manage risk through automated controls and adapt to changing market conditions.

The company offers a suite of execution services and market-making solutions to institutional clients such as asset managers, banks, broker-dealers and hedge funds.

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