Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) Receives $22.24 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Shares of Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $22.24.

VIRT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Virtu Financial from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. StockNews.com raised Virtu Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. UBS Group lowered their price target on Virtu Financial from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Virtu Financial from $20.00 to $21.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Virtu Financial from $19.20 to $21.70 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th.

Insider Activity

In other Virtu Financial news, CEO Douglas A. Cifu bought 50,000 shares of Virtu Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $16.21 per share, for a total transaction of $810,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 584,132 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,468,779.72. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 44.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Virtu Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 131.2% in the 3rd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 84,802 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,449,000 after buying an additional 48,127 shares during the last quarter. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. raised its stake in Virtu Financial by 913.6% in the 4th quarter. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. now owns 306,289 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,205,000 after acquiring an additional 276,071 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Virtu Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,149,000. Strs Ohio bought a new position in Virtu Financial during the fourth quarter worth $1,699,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 27.7% in the third quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 280,338 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,834,000 after purchasing an additional 60,776 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 45.78% of the company’s stock.

Virtu Financial Stock Up 1.0 %

NASDAQ:VIRT opened at $22.77 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $20.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.92, a P/E/G ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Virtu Financial has a 12-month low of $16.02 and a 12-month high of $22.88.

Virtu Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 31st. Virtu Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.13%.

About Virtu Financial

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.