Virtu Financial, Inc. $VIRT Shares Bought by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.

Key Points

• Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its holdings in Virtu Financial by 89.3% in the first quarter, bringing its total shares to 20,569, worth approximately $786,000.
• Virtu Financial's stock has recently been downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "buy" to a "hold" rating, while UBS Group set a new price target of $45.00 for the shares.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.24 payable on September 15, representing an annualized yield of 2.3% and a payout ratio of 21.82%.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT - Free Report) by 89.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,569 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 9,702 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Virtu Financial were worth $786,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in Virtu Financial during the 1st quarter valued at about $662,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Virtu Financial during the 1st quarter valued at about $684,000. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in Virtu Financial by 243.0% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 782 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP grew its stake in Virtu Financial by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 15,900 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $606,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its stake in Virtu Financial by 23.2% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 421,282 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $16,059,000 after purchasing an additional 79,457 shares during the last quarter. 45.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on VIRT. Wall Street Zen downgraded Virtu Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $45.00 price target (up previously from $40.00) on shares of Virtu Financial in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Virtu Financial from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Bank of America downgraded Virtu Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $43.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Virtu Financial from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Virtu Financial currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $39.75.

Insider Activity at Virtu Financial

In other news, COO Brett Fairclough sold 90,701 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.40, for a total value of $3,845,722.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 47.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Virtu Financial Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of VIRT opened at $42.0320 on Friday. Virtu Financial, Inc. has a 52 week low of $29.71 and a 52 week high of $45.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $6.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.15, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.69. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $43.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $40.13.

Virtu Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 1st will be paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Virtu Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.82%.

About Virtu Financial

Virtu Financial, Inc operates as a financial services company in the United States, Asia Pacific, Canada, EMEA, Ireland, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Market Making and Execution Services. Its product includes offerings in execution, liquidity sourcing, analytics and broker-neutral, capital markets, and multi-dealer platforms in workflow technology.

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