Empowered Funds LLC Has $4.70 Million Stock Position in Virtu Financial, Inc. $VIRT

Key Points

• Empowered Funds increased its Virtu Financial stake by 29.3% in the first quarter, owning 106,775 shares valued at approximately $4.70 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 45.78% of VIRT.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with three Buy, four Hold, and one Sell rating; the consensus rating is Hold with a $56.50 price target. Recent target changes ranged from $57 to $70.
• Virtu reported quarterly earnings of $1.82 per share, exceeding analyst expectations, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.24 per share, equivalent to a $0.96 annualized payout and an approximately 1.6% yield.

Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Virtu Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VIRT - Free Report) by 29.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 106,775 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 24,196 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned about 0.07% of Virtu Financial worth $4,696,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VIRT. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Virtu Financial by 64.2% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,370,400 shares of the company's stock worth $84,149,000 after purchasing an additional 926,376 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 41.9% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,928,509 shares of the company's stock worth $85,607,000 after purchasing an additional 569,057 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 1.0% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,920,590 shares of the company's stock valued at $84,458,000 after buying an additional 19,888 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,395,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,514,000 after buying an additional 14,113 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 53.1% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,367,583 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,549,000 after buying an additional 474,177 shares during the period. 45.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on VIRT shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Virtu Financial from $39.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Zacks Research cut Virtu Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Virtu Financial from $61.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Virtu Financial from $51.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Virtu Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $56.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Key Stories Impacting Virtu Financial

Here are the key news stories impacting Virtu Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings exceeded expectations: Virtu reported adjusted earnings of $1.82 per share, ahead of the $1.68 Zacks consensus and slightly above the $1.81 estimate cited by MarketBeat. Earnings also increased from the prior-year quarter. Virtu Financial Beats Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and profitability were strong: Quarterly revenue was reported at approximately $1.19 billion, well above the $687.2 million analyst estimate. Virtu posted a 14.17% net margin and a 51.63% return on equity. Virtu Financial Q2 Earnings Results
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns remain a focus: Virtu declared a quarterly dividend of $0.24 per share, payable September 15 to shareholders of record September 1. The annualized payout is $0.96 per share, representing an approximately 1.6% yield.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see longer-term upside: A bullish investment view highlights Virtu’s cash generation, low valuation, recurring dividend, share repurchases, and potential growth in execution services and cryptocurrency trading. Virtu Financial: Better Than the Market Expects

Virtu Financial Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE VIRT opened at $58.65 on Monday. Virtu Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $31.55 and a 52-week high of $68.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 1.11. The business has a fifty day moving average of $58.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.85. The stock has a market cap of $9.10 billion, a PE ratio of 9.74, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 0.58.

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $984.69 million for the quarter. Virtu Financial had a net margin of 13.50% and a return on equity of 49.06%. Virtu Financial has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.820-1.820 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Virtu Financial, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Virtu Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. Virtu Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 15.95%.

Virtu Financial Profile

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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