Virtu Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VIRT) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts have given Virtu a consensus "Hold" rating from nine firms (1 sell, 5 hold, 3 buy) with an average 1‑year target of $44, though Piper Sandler's target is $61.
• Virtu significantly beat estimates for the quarter, reporting EPS $1.85 vs. $1.12 and revenue $969.9M vs. $513.5M, with revenue up 16.3% YoY and a 48.35% return on equity.
• Insiders sold about 270,000 shares (~$10.46M) in the last quarter, though insiders still own 47.2% of the company; Virtu pays a $0.96 annual dividend (≈2.1% yield).

Shares of Virtu Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VIRT - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the nine ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $44.00.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on VIRT shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Virtu Financial from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Virtu Financial from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Virtu Financial from $57.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Virtu Financial from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Virtu Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd.

Virtu Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VIRT opened at $46.03 on Friday. Virtu Financial has a 52 week low of $31.55 and a 52 week high of $46.30. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $40.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.58. The company has a market cap of $7.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.97, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.73. The company had revenue of $969.89 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $513.51 million. Virtu Financial had a return on equity of 48.35% and a net margin of 12.90%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.14 EPS.

Virtu Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Virtu Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Joseph Molluso sold 200,000 shares of Virtu Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.88, for a total transaction of $7,776,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 326,585 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,697,624.80. This trade represents a 37.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen Cavoli sold 28,370 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.94, for a total value of $1,104,727.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 116,191 shares in the company, valued at $4,524,477.54. This trade represents a 19.62% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 270,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,458,644. Insiders own 47.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Virtu Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VIRT. Summit Global Investments increased its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 36,888 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,229,000 after buying an additional 5,641 shares in the last quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury boosted its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 15.0% in the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 57,483 shares of the company's stock worth $1,915,000 after buying an additional 7,477 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Virtu Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $592,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in Virtu Financial by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 12,939 shares of the company's stock valued at $431,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Virtu Financial by 40.9% during the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 304,564 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,148,000 after acquiring an additional 88,420 shares in the last quarter. 45.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Virtu Financial

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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