Virtu Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VIRT) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Seven brokerages give Virtu an average rating of "Moderate Buy" (1 sell, 2 hold, 3 buy, 1 strong buy) with a 12‑month average price target of $46.00.
• Quarterly results: Virtu reported $1.85 EPS vs $1.12 expected and revenue of $969.9M vs $513.5M consensus, with ROE of 48.35% and revenue up 16.3% year‑over‑year.
• Capital actions and insider moves: Virtu pays a $0.24 quarterly dividend (about 2.0% yield) and insiders sold 270,000 shares (~$10.46M) last quarter while still owning 46.70% of the company.

Shares of Virtu Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VIRT - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seven research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $46.00.

VIRT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Virtu Financial from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Virtu Financial from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Virtu Financial from $57.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Virtu Financial from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Virtu Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th.

Virtu Financial Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of NYSE VIRT opened at $48.89 on Wednesday. Virtu Financial has a 1 year low of $31.55 and a 1 year high of $52.21. The firm has a market cap of $7.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.53, a PEG ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.47. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $44.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.37.

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.73. Virtu Financial had a return on equity of 48.35% and a net margin of 12.90%.The firm had revenue of $969.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $513.51 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.14 earnings per share. Virtu Financial's revenue for the quarter was up 16.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Virtu Financial will post 4.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Virtu Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Virtu Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.71%.

Insider Transactions at Virtu Financial

In other Virtu Financial news, EVP Stephen Cavoli sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.61, for a total transaction of $1,128,300.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 174,561 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,565,239.21. This trade represents a 14.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Joseph Molluso sold 200,000 shares of Virtu Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.88, for a total value of $7,776,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 326,585 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,697,624.80. The trade was a 37.98% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 270,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,458,644 over the last quarter. Insiders own 46.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Virtu Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VIRT. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its holdings in Virtu Financial by 3,460.0% in the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 712 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 692 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in Virtu Financial by 258.3% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 713 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 514 shares during the period. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Virtu Financial by 480.6% in the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 836 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 692 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Virtu Financial by 103.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 760 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares during the period. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management boosted its stake in Virtu Financial by 93.7% in the third quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management now owns 978 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares during the period. 45.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Virtu Financial Company Profile

Virtu Financial, Inc is a technology-driven electronic trading firm and market maker that provides liquidity and price discovery across a wide range of financial instruments. Leveraging advanced analytics, high-performance computing and proprietary algorithms, Virtu operates in equities, fixed income, foreign exchange, commodities and derivative products. Its technology platform is designed to capture bid-ask spreads in real time, manage risk through automated controls and adapt to changing market conditions.

The company offers a suite of execution services and market-making solutions to institutional clients such as asset managers, banks, broker-dealers and hedge funds.

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