Virtu Financial Q3 EPS Estimate Raised by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised Virtu Financial’s Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $1.15 from $1.14, while maintaining a “Hold” rating. It also lifted several longer-term earnings forecasts, including FY2026 EPS to $6.13.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with Virtu holding a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $58.80, despite several firms recently raising their targets.
• Virtu declared a quarterly dividend of $0.24 per share, equivalent to $0.96 annually and a 1.4% yield; two directors also recently sold company shares.

Virtu Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VIRT - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q3 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Virtu Financial in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, August 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $1.15 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.14. Zacks Research has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Virtu Financial's current full-year earnings is $6.43 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Virtu Financial's Q4 2026 earnings at $1.25 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $6.13 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.44 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.35 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.43 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.48 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $5.71 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $1.39 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $1.30 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $5.43 EPS.

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $984.69 million for the quarter. Virtu Financial had a net margin of 13.50% and a return on equity of 49.06%. Virtu Financial has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.820-1.820 EPS.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Virtu Financial from $61.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Virtu Financial from $51.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Virtu Financial from $39.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Virtu Financial from $51.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Virtu Financial in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Virtu Financial has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $58.80.

Virtu Financial Stock Performance

Virtu Financial stock opened at $68.34 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.45. The company has a market capitalization of $10.61 billion, a PE ratio of 11.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $60.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $51.11. Virtu Financial has a fifty-two week low of $31.55 and a fifty-two week high of $68.68.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Virtu Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VIRT. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 926,376 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Virtu Financial by 290.3% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,132,346 shares of the company's stock worth $37,730,000 after purchasing an additional 842,247 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Virtu Financial by 565.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 815,143 shares of the company's stock worth $27,161,000 after purchasing an additional 692,643 shares during the last quarter. Algebris UK Ltd. acquired a new position in Virtu Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $22,377,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in Virtu Financial by 41.9% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,928,509 shares of the company's stock valued at $85,607,000 after purchasing an additional 569,057 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.78% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Virtu Financial Announces Dividend

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

Key Virtu Financial News

Here are the key news stories impacting Virtu Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raises earnings forecasts: Zacks Research increased its EPS estimates across several periods, including FY2026 to $6.13 from $5.73, FY2027 to $5.71 from $5.15, and FY2028 to $5.43 from $4.75. Estimates for multiple upcoming quarters were also raised. These revisions suggest improving expectations for Virtu’s trading and market-making performance, although Zacks retained a “Hold” rating. Zacks Research earnings estimate revisions
• Positive Sentiment: Board strengthened with independent director: Virtu announced the addition of an experienced independent director, potentially enhancing board oversight, governance and capital-markets expertise. The appointment is modestly supportive for investor confidence but is unlikely to materially change near-term earnings. Virtu Financial Adds Experienced Independent Director to Board
• Neutral Sentiment: Elevated options activity: Virtu experienced unusually large options volume, indicating increased trading interest and potentially greater short-term volatility. The report does not establish whether options traders are predominantly bullish or bearish. Virtu Financial Sees Unusually Large Options Volume
• Neutral Sentiment: Included in a roundup of key deals: Virtu was mentioned in a broader weekly deals article, but the supplied report does not provide enough detail to determine whether a specific transaction will affect Virtu’s earnings or valuation. Key deals this week: Stripe, KKR, Virtu and more

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.

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.

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