Virtu Financial Q3 EPS Forecast Lifted by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Q3 2026 EPS estimate for Virtu Financial to $1.14 from $0.97 and kept a Strong-Buy rating on the stock.
• Virtu Financial recently beat earnings expectations, reporting $2.24 EPS on $786.53 million in revenue, both above analyst forecasts, with revenue up 30.7% year over year.
• The stock has drawn mixed but generally positive analyst attention, with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and an average price target of $48.67, while the shares were up 0.6% and trading near their 52-week high.

Virtu Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VIRT - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for Virtu Financial in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, May 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will earn $1.14 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.97. Zacks Research has a "Strong-Buy" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Virtu Financial's current full-year earnings is $5.48 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Virtu Financial's Q4 2026 earnings at $1.21 EPS.

A number of other analysts have also commented on VIRT. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Virtu Financial from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Virtu Financial from $57.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Wall Street Zen raised Virtu Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. Weiss Ratings raised Virtu Financial from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Virtu Financial from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $48.67.

Virtu Financial Stock Up 0.6%

VIRT opened at $51.85 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The firm has a market cap of $8.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.58, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.62. Virtu Financial has a 52 week low of $31.55 and a 52 week high of $52.21. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $45.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $39.35.

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.58. The company had revenue of $786.53 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $613.12 million. Virtu Financial had a return on equity of 51.63% and a net margin of 14.17%.Virtu Financial's revenue was up 30.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Virtu Financial

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Summit Global Investments purchased a new position in shares of Virtu Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,109,000. Pullen Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 842.9% in the 3rd quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 61,154 shares of the company's stock worth $2,171,000 after acquiring an additional 54,668 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 59.8% in the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 90,206 shares of the company's stock worth $3,202,000 after acquiring an additional 33,762 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its position in Virtu Financial by 114,887.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 26,447 shares of the company's stock valued at $939,000 after purchasing an additional 26,424 shares during the period. Finally, Clark Capital Management Group Inc. raised its stake in Virtu Financial by 32.2% during the 3rd quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 275,978 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,797,000 after acquiring an additional 67,230 shares in the last quarter. 45.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Virtu Financial news, EVP Stephen Cavoli sold 28,370 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,524,477.54. This trade represents a 19.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Joseph Molluso sold 200,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 326,585 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,697,624.80. The trade was a 37.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 288,370 shares of company stock valued at $11,510,828. Insiders own 46.76% of the company's stock.

Virtu Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. Virtu Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.89%.

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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