D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Acquires 2,357 Shares of Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its stake in Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS - Free Report) by 43.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,802 shares of the closed-end fund's stock after purchasing an additional 2,357 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned 0.11% of Virtus Investment Partners worth $1,721,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Virtus Investment Partners by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,246 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $6,672,000 after purchasing an additional 1,876 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in Virtus Investment Partners by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 24,921 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $5,497,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC grew its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 26,917 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $5,937,000 after buying an additional 750 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 9,872 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $2,178,000 after buying an additional 654 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voleon Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners during the fourth quarter valued at about $575,000. 80.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Virtus Investment Partners Stock Up 2.3%

Virtus Investment Partners stock traded up $3.83 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $170.79. 4,097 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 40,390. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.11 and a beta of 1.47. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $142.18 and a 52-week high of $252.82. The business's 50-day moving average price is $162.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $194.37.

Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The closed-end fund reported $5.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.68 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $217.93 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $201.99 million. Virtus Investment Partners had a net margin of 13.42% and a return on equity of 21.56%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.41 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. will post 27.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Virtus Investment Partners Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be paid a $2.25 dividend. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. Virtus Investment Partners's payout ratio is 53.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on VRTS shares. Barclays set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Virtus Investment Partners and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $216.00 to $211.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $220.00 to $158.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Virtus Investment Partners from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $149.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Virtus Investment Partners currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $167.75.

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.