Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Virtu Financial from a "hold" to a "strong-buy" and published EPS estimates of $1.08 for Q1 2026, $0.98 for Q2 2026 and $4.22 for FY2027.
• Virtu posted a sizable quarterly beat, reporting $1.85 EPS versus $1.12 expected and revenue of $969.9M versus $513.5M consensus.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed and insiders have been selling: the consensus rating remains "Hold" with an average target of $44 while the stock trades near $49.61, and insiders sold about 270,000 shares (~$10.46M) in the last three months despite owning 47.2% of shares.

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Virtu Financial's Q1 2026 earnings at $1.08 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.98 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.22 EPS.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on VIRT. Weiss Ratings upgraded Virtu Financial from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Virtu Financial from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Virtu Financial from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Virtu Financial from $57.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $44.00.

Virtu Financial Stock Up 1.4%

NYSE VIRT opened at $49.61 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company has a market cap of $7.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.67, a PEG ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a 50 day moving average of $41.39 and a 200-day moving average of $36.94. Virtu Financial has a 1-year low of $31.55 and a 1-year high of $49.73.

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $969.89 million for 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. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Virtu Financial

In related news, EVP Stephen Cavoli sold 28,370 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.94, for a total transaction of $1,104,727.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 116,191 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,524,477.54. This trade represents a 19.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Joseph Molluso sold 200,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief operating officer owned 326,585 shares in the company, valued at $12,697,624.80. This represents a 37.98% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 270,000 shares of company stock worth $10,458,644. 47.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its position in Virtu Financial by 3,460.0% during the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 712 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 692 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in Virtu Financial by 258.3% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 713 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 514 shares during the period. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Virtu Financial by 480.6% in the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 836 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 692 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 103.8% during 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 last quarter. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 93.7% during the third quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management now owns 978 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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