Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. $VRTS

Key Points

• Susquehanna Fundamental Investments increased its Virtus Investment Partners stake by 257% in the second quarter, holding 14,095 shares worth approximately $2.02 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.52% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with a consensus “Reduce” rating and an average price target of $145.50; TD Cowen rated the stock Hold, while Barclays and Morgan Stanley maintained Underweight ratings.
• Virtus raised its quarterly dividend to $2.45 per share, or $9.80 annually, representing a 6.1% yield. Shares opened at $159.66, while an executive recently sold 14,975 shares at an average price of $167.34.

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC increased its position in Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS - Free Report) by 257.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 14,095 shares of the closed-end fund's stock after buying an additional 10,147 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC owned about 0.21% of Virtus Investment Partners worth $2,023,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Virtus Investment Partners during the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners in the second quarter worth about $35,000. Assetmark Inc. bought a new position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners in the first quarter worth about $36,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 86.2% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 270 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 269.9% during the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 307 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.52% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VRTS. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Virtus Investment Partners from $136.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Barclays dropped their price target on Virtus Investment Partners from $141.00 to $135.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underweight" rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Virtus Investment Partners in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $145.50.

Insider Activity at Virtus Investment Partners

In related news, EVP Michael A. Angerthal sold 14,975 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.34, for a total transaction of $2,505,916.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 63,461 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,619,563.74. This represents a 19.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 6.40% of the company's stock.

Virtus Investment Partners Stock Down 3.5%

Shares of VRTS stock opened at $159.66 on Wednesday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $161.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $146.89. Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. has a 52 week low of $121.61 and a 52 week high of $203.61. The stock has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.45 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 11.86, a current ratio of 11.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Virtus Investment Partners Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Friday, October 30th will be given a $2.45 dividend. This is an increase from Virtus Investment Partners's previous quarterly dividend of $2.40. This represents a $9.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. Virtus Investment Partners's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.84%.

Virtus Investment Partners Profile

Virtus Investment Partners NASDAQ: VRTS is a publicly traded investment management company headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. The firm offers a broad range of investment solutions to institutional, high-net-wealth, and retail investors, drawing on the expertise of multiple affiliated investment teams. Since its founding in 1995, Virtus has grown by integrating specialized asset managers and expanding its product lineup, while maintaining a focus on active management across diverse market environments.

The company's product suite encompasses mutual funds, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), collective trusts, UCITS funds, and separately managed accounts.

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