Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the seven analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $31.36.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Virtu Financial from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Virtu Financial from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Virtu Financial news, COO Brett Fairclough sold 72,967 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.84, for a total transaction of $2,688,104.28. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 90,749 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,343,193.16. This trade represents a 44.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Stephen Cavoli sold 34,000 shares of Virtu Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $1,271,940.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 157,703 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,899,669.23. The trade was a 17.74 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 140,967 shares of company stock valued at $5,213,964. 46.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Virtu Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Virtu Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Virtu Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 172.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 870 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 551 shares in the last quarter. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in Virtu Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Virtu Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. 45.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Virtu Financial Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ VIRT traded down $0.29 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $36.27. 570,633 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 971,011. The company has a market cap of $5.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.46. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $37.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $34.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Virtu Financial has a one year low of $18.46 and a one year high of $41.38.

Virtu Financial (NASDAQ:VIRT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.32. Virtu Financial had a return on equity of 27.39% and a net margin of 9.61%. On average, analysts predict that Virtu Financial will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Virtu Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.65%. Virtu Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.32%.

Virtu Financial Company Profile

Virtu Financial, Inc operates as a financial services company in the United States, Asia Pacific, Canada, EMEA, Ireland, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Market Making and Execution Services. Its product includes offerings in execution, liquidity sourcing, analytics and broker-neutral, capital markets, and multi-dealer platforms in workflow technology.