Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Reduce" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus recommendation of Reduce (2 sell, 2 hold, 1 buy) with an average 1‑year price target of $161.50, and several firms recently lowered targets (e.g., Morgan Stanley to $125, Barclays $142).
• Virtus pays a quarterly dividend of $2.40 (annualized $9.60) for a 6.8% yield, with an ex-dividend date of April 30 and a payout ratio around 48%.
• Shares trade near $140.57 (52‑week range $121.61–$215.06) with a market cap of about $939M and a P/E of 8.32; institutional investors own roughly 80.5% and an insider recently purchased 2,150 shares.

Shares of Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Reduce" from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $161.50.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on VRTS shares. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of Virtus Investment Partners in a research report on Monday, February 9th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $180.00 to $173.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Virtus Investment Partners from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $218.00 to $206.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $155.00 to $125.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st.

Virtus Investment Partners Price Performance

Shares of VRTS opened at $140.57 on Friday. Virtus Investment Partners has a fifty-two week low of $121.61 and a fifty-two week high of $215.06. The company has a market capitalization of $939.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.32 and a beta of 1.47. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $135.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $156.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 11.86 and a current ratio of 11.86.

Virtus Investment Partners Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a $2.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $9.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.8%. Virtus Investment Partners's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director W Howard Morris acquired 2,150 shares of Virtus Investment Partners stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $129.34 per share, for a total transaction of $278,081.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $258,680. This trade represents a -1,433.33% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Virtus Investment Partners

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VRTS. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 3,952 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $681,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in Virtus Investment Partners by 10.8% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 58,788 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $10,133,000 after purchasing an additional 5,734 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its position in Virtus Investment Partners by 57.4% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 15,543 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $2,679,000 after purchasing an additional 5,671 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Virtus Investment Partners by 20.8% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,587 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $1,135,000 after purchasing an additional 1,134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in Virtus Investment Partners by 26.0% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 11,776 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $2,136,000 after purchasing an additional 2,429 shares in the last quarter. 80.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Virtus Investment Partners Company Profile

Virtus Investment Partners NASDAQ: VRTS is a publicly traded investment management company headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. The firm offers a broad range of investment solutions to institutional, high-net-wealth, and retail investors, drawing on the expertise of multiple affiliated investment teams. Since its founding in 1995, Virtus has grown by integrating specialized asset managers and expanding its product lineup, while maintaining a focus on active management across diverse market environments.

The company's product suite encompasses mutual funds, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), collective trusts, UCITS funds, and separately managed accounts.

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