Virtu Financial, Inc. $VIRT Shares Sold by Stephens Investment Management Group LLC

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC lowered its stake in Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) by 25.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 406,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 142,027 shares during the quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC’s holdings in Virtu Financial were worth $14,417,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Virtu Financial by 170.7% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 555,712 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $24,890,000 after acquiring an additional 350,401 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Virtu Financial during the second quarter worth $11,475,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 23.2% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,183,268 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,373,000 after purchasing an additional 222,862 shares in the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Virtu Financial in the second quarter valued at $7,490,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in Virtu Financial by 13.2% during the 2nd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,202,847 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $53,876,000 after purchasing an additional 139,836 shares in the last quarter. 45.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Virtu Financial Stock Up 2.7%

NASDAQ:VIRT opened at $36.87 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.49. The company has a market capitalization of $5.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.58. Virtu Financial, Inc. has a one year low of $31.55 and a one year high of $45.77. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.32.

Virtu Financial (NASDAQ:VIRT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.01. Virtu Financial had a return on equity of 32.08% and a net margin of 10.43%.The company had revenue of $467.02 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $422.92 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.82 EPS. Virtu Financial’s quarterly revenue was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Virtu Financial, Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Virtu Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. Virtu Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 20.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on VIRT shares. Bank of America upgraded shares of Virtu Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Virtu Financial from $48.00 to $38.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of Virtu Financial in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Virtu Financial from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $42.57.

Virtu Financial Company Profile

Virtu Financial, Inc (NASDAQ: VIRT) is a leading global electronic trading firm specializing in market making, liquidity provision and trade execution services across a broad range of asset classes. Leveraging advanced quantitative models and proprietary trading technology, Virtu provides continuous bid and ask quotes in equities, fixed income, foreign exchange, commodities and digital assets. The firm’s infrastructure is designed to operate at high speeds and low latencies, enabling tight spreads and efficient price discovery for its clients.

In addition to its market-making activities, Virtu offers agency execution services, algorithmic trading strategies and transaction cost analysis tools.