Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT) Hits New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Virtu Financial shares reached a new 52-week high of $68.68 and last traded at $68.34, well above the previous close of $61.19.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $58.80, although Piper Sandler raised its target to $70 and maintained an “overweight” rating.
• Virtu reported quarterly EPS of $1.82 on $984.69 million in revenue and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.24 per share, equivalent to a 1.4% yield.

Virtu Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VIRT - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Saturday . The company traded as high as $68.68 and last traded at $68.34, with a volume of 3022036 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $61.19.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Virtu Financial from $39.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Virtu Financial from $51.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Virtu Financial in a report on Friday, May 29th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Virtu Financial from $61.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Virtu Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $58.80.

Virtu Financial Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.60. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $60.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $51.03.

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter. Virtu Financial had a return on equity of 49.06% and a net margin of 13.50%.The firm had revenue of $984.69 million for the quarter. Virtu Financial has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.820-1.820 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Virtu Financial, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Virtu Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. Virtu Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.95%.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Virtu Financial by 64.2% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,370,400 shares of the company's stock worth $84,149,000 after purchasing an additional 926,376 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 41.9% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,928,509 shares of the company's stock valued at $85,607,000 after buying an additional 569,057 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 1.0% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,920,590 shares of the company's stock valued at $84,458,000 after purchasing an additional 19,888 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,395,686 shares of the company's stock worth $46,514,000 after purchasing an additional 14,113 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 53.1% during the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,367,583 shares of the company's stock worth $48,549,000 after purchasing an additional 474,177 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.78% of the company's stock.

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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