Two Sigma Investments LP Sells 6,473 Shares of Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS)

Two Sigma Investments LP reduced its position in Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS - Free Report) by 35.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,843 shares of the closed-end fund's stock after selling 6,473 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP owned approximately 0.17% of Virtus Investment Partners worth $2,612,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Virtus Investment Partners during the fourth quarter worth $9,503,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Virtus Investment Partners by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 276,880 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $61,074,000 after buying an additional 21,344 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Virtus Investment Partners by 33.6% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 81,738 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $18,030,000 after buying an additional 20,544 shares during the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management acquired a new position in Virtus Investment Partners during the fourth quarter worth $3,124,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Virtus Investment Partners by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 158,028 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $34,858,000 after buying an additional 12,642 shares during the last quarter. 80.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Virtus Investment Partners Stock Performance

NASDAQ VRTS traded up $2.22 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $170.63. 27,262 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 41,256. Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. has a 1 year low of $142.18 and a 1 year high of $252.82. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $162.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $191.92. The company has a quick ratio of 11.86, a current ratio of 11.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 1.47.

Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The closed-end fund reported $5.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.68 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $217.93 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarter last year, the company posted $5.41 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. will post 27.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Virtus Investment Partners Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays set a $150.00 target price on shares of Virtus Investment Partners and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $149.00 to $152.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price 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. 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, TD Cowen lowered their target price 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned 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.