Zacks Research Boosts Earnings Estimates for Virtu Financial

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its earnings outlook for Virtu Financial, increasing its Q2 2026 EPS estimate to $1.31 from $0.98 and boosting full-year 2026 EPS to $5.74. The firm also maintained a Strong-Buy rating on the stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with other firms also upgrading or reiterating favorable views and the consensus rating sitting at Moderate Buy. MarketBeat data shows a consensus price target of $48.67.
• Virtu recently posted strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates with $2.24 EPS and $786.53 million in revenue. The stock was trading near its 12-month high at $53.71 after the report.

Virtu Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VIRT - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q2 2026 EPS 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 $1.31 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.98. Zacks Research currently 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 FY2026 earnings at $5.74 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.37 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.34 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.22 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.23 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $5.16 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $1.25 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $4.76 EPS.

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

Virtu Financial Price Performance

Virtu Financial stock opened at $53.71 on Thursday. Virtu Financial has a 12-month low of $31.55 and a 12-month high of $53.75. The stock has a market cap of $8.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.89, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $46.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $39.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

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

Virtu Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Virtu Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Brett Fairclough sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.06, for a total transaction of $1,501,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 42,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,126,198.38. This trade represents a 41.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen Cavoli sold 28,370 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 116,191 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,524,477.54. The trade was a 19.62% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 258,370 shares of company stock valued at $10,382,528. Company insiders own 46.76% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Virtu Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,999,628 shares of the company's stock worth $354,987,000 after purchasing an additional 142,890 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 64.2% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $85,607,000 after purchasing an additional 569,057 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,920,590 shares of the company's stock worth $84,458,000 after purchasing an additional 19,888 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,395,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,514,000 after purchasing an additional 14,113 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.78% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Virtu Financial

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research increased its FY2026 EPS estimate for Virtu Financial to $5.74 from $5.48, suggesting stronger expected profitability.
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also lifted FY2027 EPS estimates to $5.16 from $4.22 and FY2028 EPS estimates to $4.76 from $4.20, reinforcing a positive longer-term outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: Near-term quarterly estimates were raised as well, including Q2 2026 to $1.31, Q1 2027 to $1.37, Q2 2027 to $1.34, Q3 2027 to $1.22, Q4 2027 to $1.23, and Q1 2028 to $1.25, indicating improving earnings expectations across the board.
• Neutral Sentiment: Virtu Financial recently reported strong quarterly results, with EPS and revenue both beating expectations, which continues to provide a solid backdrop for the shares.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the upbeat analyst revisions, a separate valuation piece said the stock may be overvalued after its recent rally, which could limit upside if sentiment cools. Article Title

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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