Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT) Shares Climb 6.9% - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Virtu Financial shares rose 6.9% to approximately $59.43, bringing the company’s market capitalization to $9.26 billion. Trading volume was about 53% below the average session volume.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: three analysts rate the stock Buy, three Hold and one Sell, resulting in a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $58.80—slightly below the reported share price.
• Virtu reported quarterly EPS of $1.82 on $984.69 million in revenue and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.24, equivalent to a 1.6% annualized yield. Two directors recently sold shares, while insiders collectively own 46.76% of the company.

Virtu Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VIRT - Get Free Report) rose 6.9% on Friday. The company traded as high as $59.34 and last traded at $59.43. Approximately 600,545 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 53% from the average session volume of 1,278,181 shares. The stock had previously closed at $55.62.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on VIRT shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Virtu Financial from $39.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Virtu Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Virtu Financial in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Virtu Financial in a research report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Virtu Financial from $51.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Virtu Financial currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $58.80.

Virtu Financial Stock Up 7.3%

The company has a market capitalization of $9.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.91, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.45.

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $984.69 million for the quarter. Virtu Financial had a return on equity of 49.06% and a net margin of 13.50%.Virtu Financial has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.820-1.820 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Virtu Financial, Inc. will post 6.38 EPS for the current year.

Virtu Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st were given a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Virtu Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.95%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John Nixon sold 9,094 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.13, for a total transaction of $546,822.22. Following the transaction, the director owned 30,902 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,858,137.26. This represents a 22.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph J. Grano, Jr. sold 8,400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.94, for a total value of $511,896.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 33,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,060,625.16. The trade was a 19.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 46.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Virtu Financial

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VIRT. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in Virtu Financial by 172.7% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,688 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 1,069 shares during the last quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Virtu Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $88,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,663 shares of the company's stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 24.5% during the first quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 2,224 shares of the company's stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Virtu Financial by 246.7% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,593 shares of the company's stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 1,845 shares in the last quarter. 45.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Virtu Financial Company Profile

Virtu Financial, Inc is a global financial services company that provides liquidity and execution services to the financial markets. Through its market-making business, the company buys and sells securities across a range of asset classes, including equities, exchange-traded funds, options, fixed income, foreign exchange and commodities. Its activities help facilitate trading for investors and other market participants.

Virtu also provides institutional clients with technology, trading tools, analytics and workflow solutions through its execution services business.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.