Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) Shares Purchased by Invesco Ltd.

Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) by 11.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 802,391 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 82,396 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned about 0.52% of Virtu Financial worth $28,629,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Virtu Financial Stock Performance

Shares of VIRT stock opened at $38.46 on Friday. Virtu Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.35 and a 52-week high of $41.38. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $36.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.96 billion, a PE ratio of 12.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.71.

Virtu Financial (NASDAQ:VIRT) 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Virtu Financial, Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current year.

Virtu Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Virtu Financial’s payout ratio is 32.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Virtu Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $26.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Virtu Financial from $56.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Virtu Financial from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Virtu Financial has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $32.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Brett Fairclough sold 72,967 shares of Virtu Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.84, for a total value of $2,688,104.28. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 90,749 shares in the company, valued at $3,343,193.16. The trade was a 44.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Stephen Cavoli sold 34,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $1,271,940.00. Following the completion of 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. Insiders sold 140,967 shares of company stock valued at $5,213,964 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 46.70% of the company’s stock.

Virtu Financial 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.