Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Takes Position in Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in Virtus Investment Partners, buying 5,694 shares valued at approximately $981,000, reflecting a 0.08% ownership stake.
• Several analysts have differing views on Virtus Investment Partners, with price targets ranging from $158.00 to $234.00 and an average rating of "Hold" according to MarketBeat.
• Virtus Investment Partners declared a quarterly dividend of $2.25 per share, representing a 4.7% dividend yield, to be paid on August 15th to stockholders of record on July 31st.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 5,694 shares of the closed-end fund's stock, valued at approximately $981,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.08% of Virtus Investment Partners as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VRTS. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 30.2% during the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 366 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners during the 4th quarter worth approximately $209,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners during the 4th quarter worth approximately $280,000. MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners in the 1st quarter worth approximately $283,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners in the 4th quarter worth approximately $353,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.52% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on VRTS shares. Morgan Stanley set a $171.00 price target on Virtus Investment Partners and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Virtus Investment Partners from $211.00 to $234.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. TD Cowen cut their price target on 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. Barclays upped their price target on Virtus Investment Partners from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Virtus Investment Partners from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Virtus Investment Partners currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $188.25.

Virtus Investment Partners Stock Down 1.8%

VRTS traded down $3.40 during trading on Friday, hitting $189.91. 60,387 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 70,247. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $187.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $179.74. The company has a current ratio of 11.86, a quick ratio of 11.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. has a 12-month low of $142.18 and a 12-month high of $252.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.24 and a beta of 1.44.

Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The closed-end fund reported $6.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.17 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $210.53 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $191.90 million. Virtus Investment Partners had a return on equity of 21.56% and a net margin of 13.42%. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.53 EPS. Analysts predict that Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. will post 27.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Virtus Investment Partners Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $2.25 per share. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. Virtus Investment Partners's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.82%.

About Virtus Investment Partners

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.