Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT) Trading 8.4% Higher – Should You Buy?

Virtu Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VIRT) shares were up 8.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $67.19 and last traded at $66.32. Approximately 915,839 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 29% from the average session volume of 1,292,796 shares. The stock had previously closed at $61.19.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Virtu Financial from $61.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Virtu Financial from $51.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Virtu Financial in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Virtu Financial from $39.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Virtu Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $58.80.

Virtu Financial Trading Up 10.5%

The business has a 50 day moving average of $59.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $50.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.23, a P/E/G ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.45.

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $984.69 million during the quarter. Virtu Financial had a return on equity of 49.06% and a net margin of 13.50%.Virtu Financial has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.820-1.820 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Virtu Financial, Inc. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Virtu Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Virtu Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Virtu Financial

In other Virtu Financial news, Director Joseph J. Grano, Jr. sold 8,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.94, for a total transaction of $511,896.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 33,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,060,625.16. The trade was a 19.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John Nixon sold 9,094 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.13, for a total transaction of $546,822.22. Following the transaction, the director owned 30,902 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,137.26. The trade was a 22.74% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 46.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Virtu Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VIRT. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Virtu Financial by 480.6% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 692 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 103.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 760 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 51.9% in the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Virtu Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Virtu Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.78% of the company’s stock.

About Virtu Financial

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.